Salman Butt to give expert opinion during the World Cup
Salman Butt may be banned from playing cricket, but the former Pakistan Test captain will not stay away from the game. He will be giving expert opinion on the matches during World Cup, which starts from 19th February.
The left-handed opener has finalised a deal with a private television channel, and will be paid an undisclosed amount, which a source claimed would be somewhere in the region of half a million rupees.
Earlier, the Pakistani player was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for 10 years (five years suspended), for his alleged involvement in spot-fixing. Along with Butt, two other players Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned from cricket
for five and seven years respectively.
The news of Butt giving his opinion during the World Cup matches might irk the ICC. The sport’s governing body will not like the player, who was banned just a few days ago, to be involved with the mega event.
However, this is not the first time that such a situation has arisen. Earlier, former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin was involved in a similar controversy. He appeared on television to give his expert opinion after he was banned by the ICC. This didn’t
please the sport’s governing body and a lot of criticism followed the move.
Another banned cricketer Ajay Jadeja appeared on many Indian television channels, but that was after he completed his ban period. Butt may find himself in a similar situation as Azharuddin however; this will only be confirmed after a statement is given by
the ICC regarding the matter.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was not clear about the status of the banned players. A source close to the board stated that the situation would be clearer once a detailed judgment is handed over to the board by the ICC.
However, it is almost certain that the banned trio will lose their jobs with their respective departments, as they are also banned from playing domestic cricket. Pakistan cricket hasn’t been able to get rid of controversies completely but the team will be
focused on playing good cricket in the World Cup and giving their fans back home something to cheer about.
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