Salman Butt Hopes for Comeback After ICC Revises Anti-Corruption Code
Salman Butt, who along with teammates Aamir and Mohammad Asif, was banned for a minimum of five years in 2011 for spot-fixing scandal in the fourth Test at Lords against England in 2010, said he would meet PCB officials to plead his case.
Pakistan's banned former Test captain Salman Butt has not given up hopes of a comeback to cricket after the ICC revised its anti-corruption code and left the responsibility of pleading cases for banned players to the home Boards.
"I am sure Pakistan Cricket Board will deal with our cases in the same way they deal with Mohammad Aamir's case," Butt said on Monday. (ICC Set to Pave Way for Amir's Return)
Under the revised code, a home Board can request the ICC's anti-corruption unit chief to allow a banned player to return to domestic cricket before his ban ends officially.
The PCB has already stated it would move swiftly to plead the case for Aamir.
Butt, who along with teammates Aamir and Mohammad Asif, was banned for a minimum of five years in 2011 for spot-fixing scandal in the fourth Test at Lords against England in 2010, said he would meet PCB officials to plead his case.
"I am happy at this revision of the code and I am sure that if the PCB also pleads my case the ICC will give it consideration. I would love to resume playing domestic cricket by next year," Butt, who was Pakistan captain when the spot fixing scandal broke out, said.
The ICC's anti-corruption tribunal had imposed bans on all three players but while Aamir got a five year ban, Butt has also got a two year suspended sentence which can be waived by the ICC.
Butt said that he was still only 32 and had lots of cricket left in him.
"For what happened, I have deep regrets and know it was wrong and we have been punished for it. I would request the PCB to now also look at our cases," said Butt.
But, a PCB official told PTI that the revised anti-corruption code of the ICC carried some conditions for a banned player to be given permission to resume playing domestic cricket before his ban ends.
"The foremost is that the ACU and ICC will take into consideration how quickly the player repented his actions, confessed to his guilt and how much he cooperated with the authorities to redeem and rehabilitate himself and Aamir fulfils all conditions," he said.
The official said the Board would first deal with Aamir's case on priority basis as he was just 22 and was the first to admit to his guilt and neither did he make any appeals.
Butt and Asif exhausted all appeal avenues available to them before admitting to involvement in the spot-fixing scandal.