Going in for a complete overhaul of their high-performance cricketing establishment after their World Cup debacle, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named three former Pakistan cricketers including Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, and Rao Iftikhar Anjum as consultants to the national team chief selector Wahab Riaz. But the name of Salman Butt, infamous for his role in the 2010 notorious spot-fixing scandal, raised eyebrows all around.
The drama unfolded on the eve of Pakistan’s upcoming Test series against Australia, which gets underway in Perth on December 14. Babar Azam stepped down as captain after the recent World Cup debacle in India. He was replaced by Shan Masood while former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was appointed as national coach, despite having no prior coaching experience. The PCB also has been without a CEO for 12 months.
The PCB drew a lot of ire by naming the former national skipper Salman Butt, with a tainted past in spot-fixing scandal, as a consultant to chief selector Wahab Riaz. Butt’s appointment sparked debate across social media platforms, with Pakistanis expressing strong opposition to his involvement in such a dirty role.
The former PCB chair Ramiz Raja told Cricbuzz: “It’s insane to have a selection committee consisting of a member whose decision can be termed as a display of filial affection or non-affection and another who was locked up for match fixing.”
The appointment also drew scrutiny towards Mohammad Hafeez, director and head of the national team, who had previously taken a staunch stance against corrupt cricketers. Some individuals on social media criticized Hafeez for seemingly contradicting his previous stance by not objecting to Butt’s appointment despite his strong stance against corruption in cricket.
Social media users expressed their dismay and discontentment over the decision, highlighting past allegations and controversies involving other players, including Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal, casting further doubt on the integrity of the selection process and the individuals involved.
The uproar reignited memories of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal that rocked the cricketing world. During the fourth Test match between Pakistan and England at Lord’s, allegations surfaced that bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, on the directions of Salman captain Salman Butt, deliberately bowled no-balls according to a pre-arranged plan, as reported by the English local newspaper ‘News of the World’ on August 28, 2010.
Former national Test cricketer Tanveer Ahmed took to a social networking website to condemn Butt’s appointment, recalling the 2010 spot-fixing incident that stained Pakistan’s cricketing reputation. Tanveer highlighted Butt’s role as captain during that tumultuous period, accusing him of betraying the country and bringing disgrace upon Pakistan’s name in the global cricketing arena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFCgYGUaHBQ
Sports analyst Dr. Nauman Niaz weighed in on the controversy, questioning the PCB’s decision-making process and expressing dissatisfaction with what he perceived as preferential treatment toward certain individuals within the cricketing circles. Niaz’s critique implied regional bias in the selection of personnel, hinting that other qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds were overlooked for the consultancy role.
The widespread backlash against PCB’s decision extended beyond social media, attracting severe criticism from the international media, adding to the mounting pressure on the cricketing body to address the concerns raised by the public and former cricketers.
It took an intervention from the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, to change minds at the PCB about the tainted cricketer. Kakar is also the Patron-in-Chief of the PCB.
یہ وہ شخص ہے 2010 میں پاکستان ٹیم کا کپتان تھا میں اس سیریز میں ٹیم کے ساتھ تھا اس فکسر نے ملک بیچا اور پاکستان کا نام پوری دنیا میں بدنام کیا جیل بھی گیا اللّه معاف کرے یہ فکسر آج پاکستان ٹیم کا سلیکٹر ہے کہاں ہے پروفیسر pic.twitter.com/wk2oTHE7uv
— Tanveer Says (@ImTanveerA) December 1, 2023
Prime Minister Kakar’s office released a statement on the decision, which stated: “The caretaker PM took strict notice of the controversial player Salman Butt’s appointment in the selection committee. This controversial appointment was immediately canceled on the instructions of the Prime Minister. There is no shortage of talent in Pakistan, the selection committee of players for a popular and favorite sport like cricket should also be uncontroversial. The PM directed to include undisputed and good reputation selectors in the selection committee of Pakistan Cricket Board.”
Amid the backlash, Wahab Riaz held a press conference in which he confirmed Salman Butt’s removal from the coveted role. Justifying his move, Wahab said Salman Butt was appointed for the role to share his opinion, however, he lamented backlash from media and people who according to him created a mess. He confirmed that former cricketer Asad Shafiq has been the replacement of Salman Butt as consultant.
Wahab Riaz's press conference at GSL. https://t.co/qx4qDbDaYj
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 2, 2023
However, this a fact that Salman Butt had an “immoral stain on his record”. The appointment of convicted spot-fixer Butt as a national selector crossed a red line. The outrageous appointment of Butt confirmed that neither Zaka Ashraf nor Wahab Riaz were fit for the office as they had brought the PCB to an utter disrepute.
Pakistanis follow cricket as the second religion. But, the PCB is bent upon beating about the bush immersed in self-preservation, self-conceit, vested interest, politics, favouritism & irrelevant hiring just to destroy the game we love so much.
However, the world has moved on & cricket changed out of all recognition. But Pakistan has almost become irrelevant due to inapt leadership at the helm as there is non-existent first class structure, no systems, and infrastructures.
When we say we are living in cricket’s polarized world reflects on the competence & visionary cut for role administrations in counties like England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & India.
What do we have within the PCB? Megalomania, corruption, nepotism, abraded systems, self-preservation, egos & self-denials. Incompetence or mediocrity at its best, the competent & deserving are left in the wilderness. Predominantly inherent insecurities prevail in the entire set up of the PCB.
Time has come to depoliticize the PCB, overhaul & completely revamp infrastructure & make long term investments to stay relevant in the global game of cricket.
To have relevance we need to lay down a progressive road map & then build structures upon it. By keep bringing irrelevant non-technocrats like Zaka Ashraf at the helm, the time seems no far away when the PCB will be joining hands with Pakistan Hockey Federation, Pakistan Olympic Association or Pakistan Squash Federation with a complete receipt of destruction.
In this regard India and South Africa can be taken as case studies. To begin with let’s redefine our moral & work ethics? Let’s do it or concede without noise. Let’s stop fooling ourselves.
Salman Butt, who captained Pakistan for five Tests, was banned by the ICC for ten years after ordering his bowlers to deliver no-balls during the 2010 Lord’s Test to comply with a request from an illegal bookmaker. He was incarcerated for 30 months, while teammates Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif also served jail time. The trio had conspired to bowl no-balls at specific moments in the Lord’s Test against England at the behest of a bookie.
After the ICC’s ban, the British Crown court had also convicted the trio and sentenced them to spells in prison. Butt served seven months in Canterbury Prison in Kent and was released in 2012. While Amir and Asif both played for Pakistan, Butt only played domestic cricket after his ban was over.
Butt had privately confirmed the details of his misdeed, which included instructing fast bowlers Amir and Asif to bowl no-balls in the fourth Test against England in August 2010.
Interestingly, during the investigation of the spot fixing scandal in 2011, the now chief selector of Pakistan, Riaz had been questioned for lending his jacket to Butt’s agent, Majeed. The agent had used the jacket to hide £10,000 which had been given to him by an undercover reported from the now-defunct News of the World newspaper as part of a sting operation. It must be noted that Riaz was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The former Test captain Salman Butt represented Pakistan in 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is. He made 5,209 runs spanning the three formats with 11 international centuries. He was in the T20 World Cup winning squad in 2009.
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