Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt unhappy with the selectors' lack of attention over him
What's the story
Even after completing the ban-sentence awarded to him for spot-fixing, Salman Butt still finds himself out of contention to the Pakistan squad nearly three years later. While co-offender Amir has made a fantastic return to the Greens, the avoidance on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) apparently hurts the former opener.
In case you didn't know...
Undercover reporters from media handle News of the World videotaped a bookie named Mazhar Majeed secretly, while he accepted money handed out to him, also informing the reporters that fast bowlers Asif and Amir would deliberately bowl no-balls at specific points in an over in the then-ongoing England-Pakistan Test match.
In response, The Scotland Yard arrested Majeed, and following interrogations and a court case, The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Salman Butt (for leading the offenders), Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir (for committing the offence) - for terms of between five and 10 years.
In November 2011, Butt and Asif were found guilty by a London court on criminal charges relating to spot-fixing. Amir and Majeed had entered guilty pleas on the same charges. All four were given prison sentences, ranging from six months to 32 months.
Butt completed his charges in September 2015, and so did Amir. While Amir has been consistent in the international circuit ever since Butt is yet to find a way back in.
The details
Butt made a fantastic return to cricket, scoring 741 runs from 10 games, as he led his side to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's premier first-class tournament, after which he was informed that he will be part of the national side touring the Windies – but that did not happen.
In 2017 broke out the PSL spot-fixing case, and PCB halted Butt's career once again, and he feels quite sad about it. “Some of the players have served minor bans and are now playing again and I am still stuck there,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz in a recent chat.
“This makes no sense that I have to bear consequences of someone else's actions. It is common sense. I have done my job. I have completed my rehab and served my punishment. I should have no link whether someone does anything right or wrong,” he added.
Upon asked whether any PSL side had come calling since he responded: “I don't know what the criteria of selection in the PSL are. The franchises can better explain the grounds on which they pick players.”
What's next
Reports had surfaced that the 33-year-old batsman may receive his first national call since serving the ban when Pakistan would host England Lions and New Zealand A later this year. But he said that he hadn't received any official communication based on it yet.
“Inzi Bhai (Inzamam-ul-Haq; Butt's former teammate and current national selector) had said in a press conference that I would be tried in the A team first. Now with the series upcoming, it is good that you have reminded of it,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the national side will pit themselves against India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and another Asian side for the 2018 version of the Asia Cup.