Has the PCB made a deal with Salman Butt?

[Junaids]

We all know that Salman Butt has just pulled out of the 2020-21 QEA First Class tournament, even though he was one of the outstanding batsmen in it last year.

People have remarked upon the fact that he did so after meeting with PCB High Performance Director Nadeem Khan, brother of Moin Khan.

But what makes this even more suspicious is the other factor that people are generally unaware of.

Salman Butt had a 5 year ICC ban backdated to 1 September 2010, plus a further 5 year suspended sentence during which he was allowed to perform any role in cricket conditional upon good behavior.

In effect, if the PCB had selected him at any time up to 55 days ago he would have been eligible to play, but effectively while "out on probation".

Now he has suddenly retired, at a time when the PCB would no longer attract any adverse international scrutiny if it gave him a role.

Let me be clear about my views on Salman Butt.

1. I think his actions in 2010 were disgraceful.
2. I think many other Pakistani and international cricketers have got away with similar behaviour.
3. I supported his limited return in 2016 for the tours of England, New Zealand and Australia when Pakistan effectively had only Azhar Ali as an established top order batsman.
4. I consider that after 2016-17 he was too old to recall: I oppose selecting him OR Azhar Ali OR Fawad Alam as they are all too old, and I also oppose Abid Ali - Salman Butt was the same age then as Abid Ali is now.

To me, the timing of Salman Butt's retirement from First Class cricket is deeply suspicious. For the last 4 years he has been the best opener in domestic First Class cricket, by far, and has been the only one to show good technique against the moving ball outside off-stump.

We are at a time when oldies appear to be freely selected, and he is outperforming most of them. Yet suddenly he has met with a PCB executive and then quit.

I suspect that Salman Butt is about to be recycled as a selector, and that his rehabilitation is actually about to accelerate.

 

[Bullet Drive]

He will become a commentator.

 

[Rana]

PCB will only tarnish themselves further if they are planning to give him any serious role.

Hope this isn’t going to be the case

 

[Junaids]

He will become a commentator.

I see that Shoaib Akhtar keeps suggesting that he has been offered the Chief Selector role. Which I am conscious is only worth probably $2,500 per month.

And I can't help thinking, Salman Butt has the knowledge, skills and brain to do it better than almost anyone, including familiarity with the current active players.

We all remember that half the tragedy of the 2010 disgrace was that he actually showed himself to be far better at the strategic and diplomatic side of captaincy than anyone else since Imran Khan. (Yes, I'm conscious that he was selling out the team at the same time, obviously).

Salman Butt is by far the best possible candidate to be Chief Selector. EXCEPT he is so tarnished that every player who gets dropped or ignored would immediately cry foul and bring up his past.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I see that Shoaib Akhtar keeps suggesting that he has been offered the Chief Selector role. Which I am conscious is only worth probably $2,500 per month.

And I can't help thinking, Salman Butt has the knowledge, skills and brain to do it better than almost anyone, including familiarity with the current active players.

We all remember that half the tragedy of the 2010 disgrace was that he actually showed himself to be far better at the strategic and diplomatic side of captaincy than anyone else since Imran Khan. (Yes, I'm conscious that he was selling out the team at the same time, obviously).

Salman Butt is by far the best possible candidate to be Chief Selector. EXCEPT he is so tarnished that every player who gets dropped or ignored would immediately cry foul and bring up his past.

Are you kidding? Salman Butt is the absolute worst choice possible for Chief Selector. His very presence would tarnish the sanctity of the role. Especially when you have fantastic individuals such as Mohammad Akram and Mohammad Wasim who have a record for having an eye for talent. He can use his “strategic smarts” at the regional coaching level first and prove his credentials there. But a selection position is even more ridiculous than a commentary position, and I wrote an extensive argument on how ridiculous a commentary position would be on the other thread.

 

[Omar]

I don't find Salman Butt to be that intelligent, so regardless of his past actions, I don't think he would be a good selector. He speaks good English for a Pakistani, but that doesn't make you intelligent

 

[Usman]

I see that Shoaib Akhtar keeps suggesting that he has been offered the Chief Selector role. Which I am conscious is only worth probably $2,500 per month.

And I can't help thinking, Salman Butt has the knowledge, skills and brain to do it better than almost anyone, including familiarity with the current active players.

We all remember that half the tragedy of the 2010 disgrace was that he actually showed himself to be far better at the strategic and diplomatic side of captaincy than anyone else since Imran Khan. (Yes, I'm conscious that he was selling out the team at the same time, obviously).

Salman Butt is by far the best possible candidate to be Chief Selector. EXCEPT he is so tarnished that every player who gets dropped or ignored would immediately cry foul and bring up his past.

Are you paid by Salman Butt or something? Salman Butt was ths best "statrgic and diplomatic" capain since Imran and is "by far the best possible candidate to be Chief Selector"? Are you nuts? He was so strategic and diplomatic that in his first full series as captain, he made the biggest strategic mess in the history of Pakistani cricket. Your comments are Donald Trump-esq - i.e. a total failure to see the outrageous irony in what you say.

Let's leave aside the spot fixing for a moment. What qualification does Salman Butt have to make him the best possible candidate for Chris Selector? I can see literally none, but perhaps you are one of those fans who gushes over any player who can speak proper English.

The further this parasite stays away from Pakistani cricket, the better. I know you feel blinding love for him, but for goodness sake have some standards.

 

[Junaids]

Are you paid by Salman Butt or something? Salman Butt was ths best "statrgic and diplomatic" capain since Imran and is "by far the best possible candidate to be Chief Selector"?

What qualification does Salman Butt have to make him the best possible candidate for Chris Selector? I can see literally none, but perhaps you are one of those fans who gushes over any player who can speak proper English.

I freely admit that he betrayed the trust in him.

I wrote myself that his past behaviour probably makes it impossible to expect disgruntled players to accept his authority. He could make the very reasonable decision to drop a 40 year old Mohammad Hafeez, and we all know how Hafeez would react.

Let me take you back a while with Salman Butt though.

In 1999, the Pakistan skipper was Wasim Akram, the guy who led a Test tour to the West Indies without Saleem Malik and Shoaib Mohammad, who replaced Waqar Younis with Mohammad Akram for a Test in Australia, and whom Qayyum made fixing findings against.

In 2001, the Pakistan skipper was Waqar Younis, who never showed any capacity for reflection or thought, and whom Justice Qayyum made fixing findings against.

Until 2007, the Pakistan skipper was Inzamam-ul-Haq, a man so incapable of thought that he once forfeited a Test by accident, and whom Justice Qayyum made fixing findings against.

In 2008 and 2009, the Pakistan skipper was Younis Khan, whose team rebelled against him, and who once pulled a knife on his own batting coach.

From 2011-2017 Pakistan was led by Misbah-ul-Haq, a man whose understanding of the game was so poor that he once opened the bowling in a Sydney Test innings with Yasir Shah.

Compared with these clowns, Salman Butt looked like a genius captain in 2010. He could pick the right team, he even didn't run away in mid-series like Shahid Afridi did as skipper a few days earlier.

He identified weaknesses in the opposing team and he had strategies. Unlike Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi he was also thoughtful enough to use the fledgling DRS system thoughtfully and productively. He even showed an understanding of when to bat or bowl after winning the toss.

What is astonishing is that he did all this while actively being a crook. Even when he was conspiring against his own team he was still a better skipper than Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam, Younis Khan or Misbah!

 

[Savak]

The PCB is desperate for eloquent English speaking commentators who have also played for Pakistan and Salman Butt fits the bill. Salman himself doesn't have better prospects then this so no harm in him pursuing this, win win for all

 

[ammar_merry]

I see that Shoaib Akhtar keeps suggesting that he has been offered the Chief Selector role. Which I am conscious is only worth probably $2,500 per month.

And I can't help thinking, Salman Butt has the knowledge, skills and brain to do it better than almost anyone, including familiarity with the current active players.

We all remember that half the tragedy of the 2010 disgrace was that he actually showed himself to be far better at the strategic and diplomatic side of captaincy than anyone else since Imran Khan. (Yes, I'm conscious that he was selling out the team at the same time, obviously).

Salman Butt is by far the best possible candidate to be Chief Selector. EXCEPT he is so tarnished that every player who gets dropped or ignored would immediately cry foul and bring up his past.

Nothing in his captaincy suggested he was better than anyone in any aspect.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Nothing in his captaincy suggested he was better than anyone in any aspect.

HE won a test against Ponting's Australia in England. He also won a test against a great England team in England.

 

[angrypathan]

HE won a test against Ponting's Australia in England. He also won a test against a great England team in England.

The win against Australia had almost nothing to do with Butt's captaincy and everything to do with a red hot Amir and Asif running through them in the most favourable of conditions. A wooden plank as captain would have achieved the same result.