“He should be in immediately”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Former Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar has called on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to include Salman Butt in the national team after the ex-captain expressed his eagerness to resurrect his international career.
Butt has not played international cricket since 2010 as he was banned for five years due to his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal.
However, with the suspension having come to an end in September last year and Butt having excelled in the domestic competitions, Akhtar sees no reason as to why the 32-year-old should continue to remain on the sidelines.
Butt recently scored 125 and 105 not out to lead the Water and Development Authority (WAPDA) to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title in their final against Habib Bank.
Overall, Butt was the sixth-highest scorer in the tournament with 741 runs, which included four centuries and two fifties, at an average of 49.40.
However, his success goes beyond first-class cricket as he also prospered in the one-day tournament and Twenty20 competition. In the National One-Day Cup, Butt amassed 536 runs at an average of 107, while in the National T20 Cup, he was the second-highest run-scorer with 350 runs at an average of 70.
“Salman has served the ban and every bit of trouble that he had is behind him,” Akhtar said. “He should be in immediately. He has suffered enough and people who have suffered enough should be forgiven. Now, he is free to play and we should allow him to do so.”
Akhtar believes that the current players in the national team will welcome back Butt with open arms, just like they did with left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir, who was also banned for five years as a result of the spot-fixing incident.
Initially though, Pakistan ODI captain Azhar Ali and veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez refused to play alongside Amir, but ultimately gave in.
“Amir is also playing you see and you have to give Butt also a chance,” Akhtar said. “These things happen and we have to rally around him now. We have to see the bigger picture for Pakistan.”
Moving away from the topic of Butt, Akhtar also expressed his displeasure towards PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan’s comments about Azhar.
Shaharyar recently said that Azhar’s time as ODI captain was coming to an end, while his place in the squad was also in jeopardy. Azhar is averaging 31 with the bat in ODIs this year, and Pakistan have only won four of their nine series in that period of time, with two of their victories having come against Zimbabwe and the other two against Ireland.
“The stance that PCB take at times are absolutely unacceptable,” Akhtar said. “I heard what Shaharyar said about Ali and you don’t give that sort of a statement ahead of a crucial series and put anyone under pressure. You can let them come back from a tour, look at their performance and then decide on their fate.
“The only problem what I can see is Pakistan bowling. The super spells are missing and performances are not gelling together. Amir and Ahmad Wahab are not striking together. At the same time, Yasir Shah is not firing because it is his first tour and it won’t be easy for him. Pakistan got to show some fighting spirit for sure in the batting and hopefully, they will show guts and don’t get more embarrassed.”