"Keep your personal opinion to yourself" - Salman Butt slams Ramiz Raja for taking shots at Mohammad Amir
Former opener Salman Butt has criticized recently sacked Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja for his remarks against senior left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir.
During his tenure as PCB chief, Ramiz made it clear that he would not bring any tainted players back into the team, including Amir. Butt, however, argued that it's not right to hold any grudge against someone and that one should learn how to forgive.
He opined that if Ramiz believes that players like Amir should not be allowed to make a comeback, then he should keep his opinions to himself instead of making public statements.
"What can we say when someone has set such high moral ground that there is no place for forgiveness?" Butt said in a video shared on his YouTube channel. "I think Ramiz Raja is very stubborn. I just hope he gets well soon.
"I don't think he is doing fine. It's like there is some grudge in his heart against someone. You should keep your personal opinion to yourself."
Notably, both Butt and Amir, along with Mohammad Asif, were involved in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010 that led to the trio being banned. Amir returned to the Pakistani team in 2016 after serving his punishment.
With Najam Sethi replacing Ramiz Raja as the chairman of the board, there is a chance that Amir could once again be seen in Pakistani colors. The fast bowler was also recently spotted training at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore.
"Youth needs to understand that you can't love those who were involved in fixing" - Ramiz Raja
Speaking at an event at Government College University in Lahore, Ramiz Raja said that youth should not show love to the players who have been involved in fixing in the past.
He stated that he is never going to respect the guys who have carried out such activities. Ramiz disclosed that fixing was a major issue for the Pakistani team even during his playing days.
"Youth needs to understand that you can't love those who were involved in fixing," Raja said. "I feel this on a personal level because, unfortunately, I played in that era of cricket where 9 players were trying to win the game and two weren't.
"When it happens with you, it becomes difficult. In my book, I never had respect for such people and I never will."
Meanwhile, Mohammad Amir is currently playing in the ongoing season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2023). He last played a T20I for Pakistan in 2020 and announced his retirement from international cricket soon after due to a lack of opportunities.