Salman Butt

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Salman Butt
Pakistan
Personal information
Full name	Salman Butt
Born	7 October 1984 (1984-10-07) (age 23)
	Lahore, Pakistan
Role	Opening Batsman
Batting style	Left-hand
Bowling style	Right-arm Off spin
International information
Test debut (cap 178)	3 September 2003: v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 150)	22 September 2004: v West Indies
ODI shirt no.	1
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2000 – 2005	Lahore Whites
2001 – 2002	Lahore Blues
2002 – 2007	National Bank of Pakistan
2004 – 2007	Lahore Eagles
2006 – 2007	Lahore Lions
Career statistics
	Tests	ODIs	FC	LA
Matches	19	44	59	86
Runs scored	1047	1968	3655	3446
Batting average	29.08	31.81	37.29	42.54
100s/50s	2/6	4/5	9/17	10/16
Top score	131	136	206	129*
Balls bowled	131	45	813	460
Wickets	1	0	10	9
Bowling average	95.00	–	55.80	45.00
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	0
10 wickets in match	0	0	0	0
Best bowling	1/36	–	4/82	2/26
Catches/stumpings	7/–	11/–	23/–	21/–
As of 02 February 2008 Source: Cricinfo

Salman Butt (born October 7, 1984 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani cricketer who regularly opens the batting for his national side in both Test and ODI matches. He made his Test debut on September 3, 2003 in the 3rd test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on September 22, 2004.

Contents 1 Early career 2 International Cricket 2.1 One Day International centuries 3 Batting Style 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early career

He started in the Under-17s and quickly progressed through to Under-19 level, although at the time he was much younger than the age limits suggest, making his senior debut for Lahore Whites in 2000 aged only 16. His talent was noticed immediately, which led to him being given a place in the Pakistan A team against England soon after. However, instead of rushing straight for the limelight of international cricket, he got his head down and consolidated by playing consistently for his region and the youth teams, until the Pakistan selectors finally drafted him in 2003.^[1]

[edit] International Cricket

After his debut, he was dropped and struggled to regain his place due to some stiff competition for the openers' spots. He returned for the Champions' Trophy in 2004 and scored his first fifty for Pakistan in the Paktel Cup against Sri Lanka. He was not yet particularly famous, In the ODI of 13 November 2004, as Pakistan chased down 292, he formed partnerships first with Shoaib Malik, putting on 113, and subsequently with Inzamam-Ul-Haq. Despite having to retire hurt for seven overs due to severe cramp, he returned to steer Pakistan home, finishing on 108 not out.^[2]

Yet 2005 saw little improvement, and doubts circulated about his defensive technique causing him to yo-yo in and out of the side. But things started looking up again during the winter Test series against England, in which he scored a century and two fifties with a more cautious attitude to his innings-building the he had previously shown.^[3]

[edit] One Day International centuries

ODI Centuries of Salman Butt
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	108*	6	India	Kolkata, India	Eden Gardens	2004
[2]	101	16	India	Jamshedpur, India	Keenan Stadium	2005
[3]	101	27	India	Peshawar, Pakistan	Arbab Niaz Stadium	2006
[4]	129	38	India	Kanpur, India	Green Park Stadium	2007
[5]	132	47	Bangladesh	Lahore, Pakistan	Gaddafi Stadium	2008
[6]	136	49	Bangladesh	Karachi, Pakistan	National Stadium	2008

[edit] Batting Style

An accumulator, he works very hard for his runs without indulging in too many big hits; his stats showing only two international sixes to date (12 September 2007. He is most famous for his wristy strokes.^[4] He scores a lot of his runs between backward point and extra cover. He uses his superb wristwork to angle the bat, placing the ball into gaps using the pace of the ball to his advantage; a very good technique for ODIs where it is best to keep the scoreboard ticking all the time. He also has the ability to cut the ball very fine down to third man if there are no slips, especially against spin bowlers, as he showed to great effect in his above-mentioned innings of 108*. These are his specialities, but he has large range of shots. However, many commentators have expressed that his defensive technique has flaws, and that he is prone to playing at balls outside off-stump which should be left.^[5]

[edit] References

v • d • e Kolkata Knight Riders – current squad 0 Butt • 1 Ganguly (c) • 2 Dinda • 5 Hafeez • 6 Saha • 7 Shukla • 8 D.Hussey • 11 Chopra • 13 Taibu • 14 Akhtar • 25 Kartik • 29 I.Sharma • 42 McCullum • 68 Agarkar •  Abdulla •  Bannerjee •  Bose •  Das •  Gayle •  Gul •  Mendis •  Hodge •  Kaul •  Lahiri •  Ponting •  Pujara •  Yashpal Singh • Coach Buchanan

[edit] External links

• Cricinfo Profile: Salman Butt
• Cricket Archive Profile
• Salman Butt's Official Website and Home Page