Salman Butt has been withdrawn a day after his much-criticised appointment as choice advisor for the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Cricket authorities in Pakistan have withdrawn spot-fixing convicted former captain Salman Butt from a consultancy function a day after his appointment was introduced, following criticism from the media, followers and cricket consultants.
Butt, together with former gamers Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum, was appointed as a advisor for the lads’s nationwide crew, in accordance with a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) assertion on Friday. Nonetheless, Butt was withdrawn from the place a day later in a hastily-called press convention by chief selector Wahab Riaz.
“I’m reverting the choice to rent Salman as we’re pals and I’ve been accused of nepotism in appointing him,” Riaz informed reporters at PCB’s headquarters in Lahore on Saturday night.
“As chief selector, it’s as much as me whom I wish to rent to assist me so I employed him [Butt] as he has data of home cricket and possesses an excellent cricketing thoughts, however there was quite a lot of debate for the reason that choice was introduced,” Riaz stated.
“I’ve informed Salman he can’t be part of my crew,” he added.
The PCB turned down Al Jazeera’s request for a touch upon Butt’s appointment after his function within the sport’s arguably greatest corruption scandal.
Butt was the central character in a spot-fixing scandal that despatched shock waves by way of the cricket world in September 2010 when a British tabloid’s undercover recording unveiled sports activities agent Mazhar Majeed boasting of how he might organize for gamers to rig video games for cash.
Then Pakistan captain Butt and his then teammates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been discovered responsible of corruption as Pakistan bowled deliberate no-balls throughout a Check match towards England at Lord’s in 2010.
Butt spent seven months of a two-and-a-half-year time period at Canterbury jail in southeast England, whereas Asif and Amir served half of their one-year and six-month phrases, respectively.
The opening batter, who performed 33 Exams, 78 one-day internationals and 24 Twenty20s, additionally served a five-year ban from enjoying the sport.
After finishing the ban, he returned to play home and franchise cricket in Pakistan. The 39-year-old additionally makes common stints as a cricket commentator and pundit.
‘Completely diabolical’
The transfer to nominate Butt led to widespread criticism amongst Pakistan cricket followers and consultants, who urged the board to take away him instantly.
Cricket author Kamran Abbasi termed the choice “completely diabolical” and referred to as for Riaz to resign from his place as chief selector in a put up on X.
Followers stated handing Butt a job that will instantly have an effect on the collection of the nationwide crew was a “despicable choice” and “abhorrent transfer” that will damage the credibility of the board.
“A person’s previous involvement in corruption makes it difficult for stakeholders, gamers, and sponsors to belief their selections or actions,” Pakistan fan Zainub Razvi wrote in a put up on X.
Cricket commentator Aatif Nawaz stated regardless of Butt’s data of the sport, he should be avoided the present gamers given the “crime for which he was convicted”.
Having seen a whole lot of it, I feel Salman Butt’s evaluation and punditry is genuinely top of the range. He has a extremely good thoughts for the sport. However for my part, the crime for which he was convicted ought to imply there’s an enormous hole between him and present gamers…perpetually. https://t.co/I1ap9TaXdf
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) December 1, 2023
Wholesale adjustments
The PCB has made a flurry of adjustments since Pakistan was knocked out of final month’s Cricket World Cup in India following a poor run of outcomes.
Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy of the crew in all three codecs of the sport, and was changed by opening batter Shan Masood in Check cricket and Shaheen Shah Afridi in T20s.
Head coach Grant Bradburn, crew director Mickey Arthur and batting coach Andrew Puttick have been all let go, whereas bowling coach Morne Morkel stepped down from his function as properly.
Former captain and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez took over the function of crew director, and former Pakistan bowlers Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal are additionally a part of the new-look assist workers as bowling coaches.
The board’s prime administration has additionally modified palms continuously over the previous few years. Present PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf returned to the helm after a niche of 10 years, changing former chief Najam Sethi, who held the place for six months.
Pakistan’s males’s crew returns to motion with a three-match Check sequence in Australia, beginning December 14.