Salman Butt has raised an objection to the “glorifying” of World Cup-winning coach John Buchanan. Salman Butt, who played under John Buchanan during his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008, said the Australian was a ‘high-tech’ man who used to bore his players to sleep during team meetings.

John Buchanan was the head coach of the legendary Ricky Ponting-led Australian team that won three consecutive World Cups from 1999 to 2007. However, his contributions were always in question, with many believing that he simply inherited a great team. At KKR, his “multiple captaincy” strategy courted a lot of criticism, and he was ousted in 2009 after the team failed to perform as expected.

Controversial Pakistan batsman Salman Butt (File Photo | AFP)

Controversial Pakistan batsman Salman Butt (File Photo | AFP)

Salman Butt: John Buchanan Was Very High Tech Coach As He Used To Have Long Meetings Where Players Fall Asleep

Salman Butt said John Buchanan wasn’t successful in any other coaching assignments since the Australians would have won even without a coach.

“John Buchanan was a very high-tech coach. He used to have long meetings. I have also run teams and I am not a fan of such long meetings where players fall asleep. Players used to fall asleep in his meetings and he’s been part of a lot of coaching projects around the world but none were successful. “

John Buchanan did a commendable job as a coach Getty Images

“The Australian team was a massive side, it wouldn’t have mattered if they didn’t have a coach at all. Australian players have written the same in their books as well. He was a decent man but the glorifying of his coaching [is wrong]. Give any coach such players and the results will be similar,” Salman Butt remarked on his YouTube channel.

While Ricky Ponting once commended John Buchanan for his contributions to the team, players like Shane Warne were often dismissive of his convoluted coaching style. Former Australian coach John Buchanan trained the Australian side from 1999 to 2007, this was also the period when the side won three World Cups. Not just this, Australia also won the Champions Trophy and a couple of Ashes.

Salman Butt played under John Buchanan’s tutelage during his only year in the IPL. He was a part of seven matches, scoring 193 runs at an average of 27.57. KKR, despite starting the inaugural game with a bang, finished sixth in the points table that season.

Salman Butt Spoke Highly of Sourav Ganguly

Salman Butt spoke highly of his only IPL captain and current BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly. He hailed Sourav Ganguly’s soft-spoken nature, astute captaincy, and the care with which he led the team.

“He was a good captain, there’s no doubt about that, he captained India very well. He’s very soft spoken, keeps the team with utmost care and a brilliant player too. I have a lot of respect for him. No, no, he was not at all strict. I have played with him, against him and under his captaincy as well, he was never strict,” concluded Salman Butt.

Sourav Ganguly played for KKR in the first three editions of IPL. Photo AFP

KKR finished sixth, eighth, and sixth in the first three editions of the IPL since its inception in 2008. Sourav Ganguly was an icon player for the franchise being a local lad, which resulted in fans outraging when he was left out. Gautam Gambhir replaced Sourav Ganguly, and under his leadership, the results began to improve. KKR won the tournament in 2012 and 2014, beating CSK and KXIP in the respective finals.

The left-handed batsman from Kolkata debuted for Team India in 1992. Sourav Ganguly was adjudged as the skipper for the Indian side after the match-fixing fiasco in 2000. His cricketing career spanned 16 years.

In the 2011 IPL auctions, Sourav Ganguly was released by the KKR franchise and went unsold in the auction to the surprise of many. However, Ganguly was bought by Sahara-owned Pune Warriors after Ashish Nehra injured his finger during the 2011 World Cup and was unavailable for the tournament. Also missing for them was the 2011 World Cup Man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh, who was diagnosed with cancer and went to the USA for treatment.