ISLAMABAD: The appointment of Salman Butt, who was convicted and banned for spot-fixing in 2010, as a member of the men’s cricket national selection committee has sparked a controversy leaving former cricketers stunned by the development.
In an unexpected move, the Pakistan cricket board (PCB) on Friday announced that former international cricketers Kamran Akmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Salman Butt have been hired as “consultants” to chief selector Wahab Riaz.
Expressing his profound surprise, the Melbourne hero Sarfraz Nawaz remarked that such appointments would take national cricket back to those eras when match-fixing was rampant.
The former Test fast bowler expressed disbelief upon reading the handout issued by the PCB. Nawaz, who has spent his life combating the menace of corruption in cricket and faced life threats from the mafia, criticized the decision. He questioned the rationale behind considering tainted players for any position under the current regime, stating that these individuals had tarnished the country’s image and prestige.
Sarfraz Nawaz considered writing a letter to PCB Management Committee chairman Zaka Ashraf to highlight the issue, fearing that it could bring a negative reputation to Pakistan cricket. He emphasized the seriousness of the decision and its potential far-reaching implications, expressing concern that the involvement of tainted cricketers in selecting talented players for international commitments could damage the country’s cricketing image.
Nawaz further said that there are numerous clean players available, such as Shoaib Mohammad and Mohammad Sami, who could have positively contributed to the selection panel.
He urged Mohammad Hafeez to resign immediately from the position of director coaching, citing Hafeez’s previous statement that he would not work alongside tainted players in any board setup.
