Pakistan Cricket and Match-Fixing: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salman-c88163 Butt vows to get his name cleared
While fast bowler Mohammad Asif has decided not to appeal against the provisional suspension handed out to him by the International Cricket Council, left-handed opening batsman Salman Butt, who was the captain
of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 when the scandal broke out, has decided to go ahead with his appeal.
Salman, who was suspended along with Asif and young pace sensation Mohammad Amir, once again pleaded his innocence during a telephonic conversation with a local TV Channel.
He claimed that he and his lawyer had made adequate preparation for the case and he was confident of getting his name cleared and resuming his international career.
"We are innocent and have to fight our case on our own," Salman said. "The first and the foremost thing is to fight this case out and I am eager to do that."
The major worry for Salman and the two fast bowlers is that the Pakistan Cricket Board has abandoned their support for the tainted players and asked them to fight the case themselves.
This only happened after they were given a directive by the International Cricket Council, after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 had stood defiant in the support of his players.
The trio was also banned from using the facilities at Pakistan's National Cricket Academy, or playing in any match at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which is the headquarters of cricket in the country.
They would only be allowed to make an appearance once the spot-fixing scandal is resolved.
Amid the ongoing ruckus, the former captain is defiant of getting his name cleared. "The onus is on them [the accusers] to prove," Butt said. "A player's career is of 10 to 15 years and if he is suspended
it is cut short, so whatever doubts are there we have to remove them."
The Lahore-born batsman has been under the scanner since the scandal broke out and has been advised to avoid hanging out at public places in or outside the country.
He feels that Asif might have withdrawn the appeal on the advice he received from his lawyer based in England.
The pacer, who like Butt claims that he was not involved in the damning scandal that shook the very foundation of the game, told the ICC about his decision earlier today.
He would now have to wait until the ICC concludes its full hearing - within three months from September 2, the suspension date - before he can apply for it to be lifted. "It may be strategic or maybe because
of financial reasons, but he must have taken this decision after consulting with his lawyer," Butt said of Asif's decision.
It remains to be seen as to what the outcome is of the hearing of Salman Butt and Amir. The hearing is barely a week away and would be one of the most eagerly awaited events in the sporting circles around
the world.
Salman Butt is very keen on making a return to international cricket and has time and again claimed that it is only a matter of time before he gets the go-ahead to represent his country, which is his burning
desire ever since the controversy derailed his career.
Many in Pakistan believe that the International Cricket Council and the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard did not have sufficient proof against the three players and hence their clearance is inevitable.
Ever since the scandal broke out, Mohammad Amir has found sympathy from cricketing experts and fans around the world who feel that the 18-year-old deserves another chance as he must have been coaxed into
the shady business by someone else.
The left-armer ironically claimed his best figures in Test cricket in the very innings he was accused to have spot-fixed by bowling deliberate no-balls.
Amir claimed 6 wickets in the first innings of the Lord’s Test, before the hosts staged a stunning comeback courtesy a triple hundred partnership between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad.
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