The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named former captain Salman Butt, infamous for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, as one of the consultants in the national selection panel, along with former international teammates Kamran Akmal and Iftikhar Anjum.
The trio’s first stint as advisors to newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz begins with Pakistan taking on New Zealand in a five-match T20I series following the tour to Australia.
Akmal, who chaired the junior selection committee in early 2023, and Ajnum, who was part of the selection committee led by interim chief selection committee Shahid Afildi last year, have experience as selection committee members. However, due to Mr. Bat’s appointment, he has some eyebrows.
The appointment marks Mr Butt’s first return to an official PCB role since he was suspended for his involvement in the match-fixing scandal in 2010. Mr Butt, who was a Pakistani captain at the time, was the mastermind behind the operation in which Mohammad Amir and a Pakistani were killed. Mohammad Asif deliberately played a no-ball on the front foot during the road test against England. All three received long suspensions and prison sentences after the incident. Amir, who was 18 at the time of the incident, returned to international cricket, but neither Asif nor Butt played for Pakistan again, though both went on to play in domestic cricket.
Butt represented Pakistan in 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
