PCB withdraws Salman Butt from consulting panel following uproar within board

A day after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed ‘tainted’ ex-cricketer Salman Butt, among two others, as consultants to chief selector Wahab Riaz, the board has withdrawn his name from the advisory committee following an uproar within. Riaz, a close friend of Butt, addressed the issue in the press conference, calling for Salman Butt’s name to be removed from the list.

Amidst all the talk surrounding Butt’s shock appointment, Riaz admitted that the media tried to defame the PCB over the same. 

Upon claiming his priority is to maintain his and Pakistan Cricket Board’s reputation, knowing the stakes, Wahab announced Butt’s removal with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, former cricketers Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar will remain on the advisory panel.

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This week, the PCB, in its efforts to revive interest among fans following the World Cup debacle, appointed a three-member panel working as consultants to the chief selector. Their first assignment was said to be away five-match New Zealand T20Is, starting right after the Australia Tests. 

However, shortly after Salman Butt’s appointment, the uproar started growing within the PCB, with fans and several pundits also calling it to be a shallow move. It reached a point where one of the PCB members felt uncomfortable with this decision and even threatened to resign if the board decided against removing Butt immediately.

Meanwhile, Riaz said a replacement will be announced shortly, with former Test batter Asad Shafiq leading the race to fill Butt’s shoes for now. 

Butt’s history

A former captain and an opening batter, Salman Butt, was one of the better top-order players from the sub-continent during his time. 

However, during the 2010 Lord’s Test against England, Butt, alongside seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, was found guilty of spot-fixing, bringing a bad name to Pakistan cricket.

All three were handed separate bans, with Butt serving the longest of the three. Even after his ban was lifted, Butt participated in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and domestic cricket but never held any post in any capacity in the PCB. Considering this, Butt’s selection raised quite a few eyebrows across the country.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Team is currently in Australia for three Tests, starting in Perth on December 14.