A day after Salman Butt’s appointment as selection consultant, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said the former captain has been removed from the role in wake of public outcry.
PCB chief of selector and former fast bowler Wahab Riaz made the announcement while addressing a press conference.
“People were talking all sorts of stuff about me and Salman Butt. Therefore, I am reverting the decision and I have already spoken to Salman Butt and I have told him that he cannot be part of my team,” Riaz told reporters at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had slammed the cricket board for including a member in their selection committee who has been accused of match-fixing in the past besides alleging favouritism.
“It’s insane to have a selection committee consisting of a member whose decision can be termed as a display of filial affection or non-affection and another who was locked up for match fixing,” Ramiz was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Butt was among the three Pakistan cricketers who were accused of indulging in spot-fixing during the England tour of 2010.
As per various media reports, Butt shares a close friendship with Riaz and to avoid getting targeted for preferential treatment, the latter took the decision.
PCB had named Butt alongside Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum as consultant members to chief selector Riaz.
“The three have assumed their responsibilities in the selection panel with immediate effect. Their first assignment as consultant members to the chief selector includes the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, set to commence on 12 January 2024 following the conclusion of the Test tour to Australia,” the PCB said in a release on Friday.
Butt was banned for 10 years by the International Cricket Council after the scandal came to light which also saw the batter serve a prison sentence in the United Kingdom.
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