"I was expecting a place in the Pakistan Test squad" : Salman Butt [VIDEO #158]

[Abdullah719]

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt's quest for a return to international cricket was recently dealt a blow as he was not named for the Pakistan Test squad bound for the West Indies. Butt had earlier made a strong case for an international comeback by being the second highest run-getter for tournament winners WAPDA with seven-hundred and forty-one runs in the domestic Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (2016/17). He also had a decent showing in the Departmental One-Day Cup where he was the second highest run-scorer for WAPDA with three-hundred and sixteen runs.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Salman Butt spoke in detail about his disappointment at not being selected for the tour of the West Indies, Mohammad Amir's dip in form despite numerous international opportunities and the difficulties Pakistan will face with the imminent retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.

PakPassion.net : Were you surprised at missing out on selection for the Pakistan Test squad against West Indies?

Salman Butt : Yes I was surprised. I was expecting a place in the Pakistan Test squad after having performed very well in the last domestic season and winning a domestic Cup competition and scoring hundreds in each innings of that final which has never been achieved previously in Pakistan domestic cricket. So I was very hopeful, but now it's a case of hoping that my selection has been delayed, but it will happen one day.


PakPassion.net : Do you think there are non-cricketing reasons behind your non-selection?

Salman Butt : I have no clue why I haven't been picked and this is something that I would like to know as well. Normally there is a press conference when a squad is picked and the media asks questions about the squad that has been picked, but I noticed this time around there was no press conference and the squad was just confirmed in a press release. I haven't heard of any reason or been given an explanation about why my name was not in there in the squad.


PakPassion.net : The selectors have stated that good performers in domestic cricket would be picked. I guess that didn't apply to you and that must be disappointing and disheartening?

Salman Butt : All I can do is work hard and leave the rest to the Almighty. There are a lot of questions regarding my non-selection that the selection committee and the authorities need to answer. All that I have in my power is to continue to do well and hope for the best. The Chief Selector has maintained that all players will be treated equally and that myself and Asif would not be treated any differently so let's see if that happens.


PakPassion.net : There were some reports that you had been notified that you were not going to be considered for the Test squad against West Indies. Did that occur?

Salman Butt : I was never told anything like that. Nobody had conveyed any message to me beforehand that I would not be picked, nor that I was not eligible to be picked for the Test squad. If anyone had said this to me then I would have asked the question right away about why am I not being picked for national duties and on what grounds is this being decided.


PakPassion.net : So it's a case of back to the drawing board for you and back to performing in domestic cricket once again?

Salman Butt : I will do the same again. These setbacks are not going to damage my confidence or make me feel disheartened. The Pakistan One-Day Cup starts in a couple of days and my plan is to make sure that I am scoring heavily and in form when my chance for Pakistan finally comes around once again.


PakPassion.net : Do you think it's been harder for you and Mohammad Asif to catch the eye of the selectors than it was for Mohammad Amir?

Salman Butt : That has been very visible. I have played a full season, I have got the runs on the board, I have proved that my fitness is of a good standard, whereas Amir was picked as soon as he was eligible to play for Pakistan. There is no question that my journey back to the Pakistan team will be much harder than it was for Mohammad Amir.


PakPassion.net : Mohammad Amir's form is clear evidence that being away from international cricket for five years is not easy. Why do you think Amir's return has not been as successful as was expected?

Salman Butt : The five year absence cannot be used as an excuse. He's been back in the Pakistan team for over a year and in that period he's had his time and opportunity to perform. At times he's done well but I think the thing to look for is progress and he did well as soon as he was recalled but then the graph started spiralling downwards and not in the direction that everyone would have expected. That performance graph should have been going upwards and not downwards. That is something for him to work on and improve. Once you are back in the team and have been given ample time then there should be a gradual improvement. I believe he has the ability and sometimes it can be a case of some technical issues and sometimes you can take it too easy and take things for granted. However given his ability, I think his performances should be a lot better


PakPassion.net : Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have announced their retirements recently. Those are surely going to be huge shoes to fill aren't they?

Salman Butt : Absolutely. They have done so well and taken Pakistan to new heights. Younis also took Pakistan to the World Twenty20 crown in 2009. They have been cricketers who have maintained their fitness, have worked hard, have been disciplined and performed on a consistent basis and adapted to conditions wherever they have played. You put them in any tough condition and these two names would be top of the list. These are going to be huge gaps to fill, but there again gaps never remain open for long and usually someone comes in and fills those gaps and take their place. Initially it will not be easy to fill the void left by Younis and Misbah and it will be like when Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara retired for Sri Lanka.


PakPassion.net : You have proved your fitness, you have proved that you still have the ability to score runs. Is the knock-back from the selectors a big blow for you or one that you feel you can overcome?

Salman Butt : The desire to play for Pakistan is very much still there and is what keeps me going in cricket. I will get there, I am sure of that. I have to get there and get back into the Pakistan team once again. These delays and setbacks are not stopping my ambition and are in fact motivating me even more to return to international cricket.

 

[Syed1]

No one cares man. Just hang up your boots and leave cricket.

 

[hadi123]

I reckon he would have been recalled had the PSL scandal not happened. Good batsman, definitely better than Shehzad and Masood, probably not better than Sami Aslam

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

I hate this man, why do some act if he is Saeed Anwar, somebody should him his test record, doesn't matter if he was turning a corner, that was 7 years ago.

Plus I have simple question for Salman : why should we take your remorse seriously when you exhausted everyone option of the face of the earth before admitting you guilt. Your family even used to come on TV and attack the public for not supporting you .

Amir admitted his guilt late, but he did it before multiple denials, lawsuits and going to the CAS

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Also salman try not to score at strike rate of 70 in the one day cup. Selectors may be silly enough to ignore but us fans won't .

 

[MenInG]

He is a Test batsman. He deserves a chance. Simple.

 

[DRsohail]

He is a Test batsman. He deserves a chance. Simple.

what about imam and other guys...???

 

[JibranAnsari]

He is a Test batsman. He deserves a chance. Simple.

Yah , brilliant test record to back him up.

If anything he is an ODi batsman not test batsman.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

He is a Test batsman. He deserves a chance. Simple.

Hence the average of 30 ?

Perhaps getting banned was the greatest thing to happen to Butt, people forget how crap he was overall

 

[Square Drive]

Stay away.

Stop expecting.

 

[Nasty Naz]

30.46 average in 33 Test matches with only 3 hundreds and is now 32 years old.

How about giving some actual youngsters or players with much better track record in FC a chance instead? He is old and wasn't even good in the Test matches he played. It would be nice if he was simply not considered for Pakistan in any format of the game.

 

[Deception]

What a disgraced guy i hate PCB for giving him a chance to play domestic

 

[MenInG]

To be clear I didn't imply he should be brought in but am suggesting that he needs a fair crack at this

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

To be clear I didn't imply he should be brought in but am suggesting that he needs a fair crack at this

Yes but why does he need a fair crack, the same media that was bashed by Butt and his family are now fawning over him ?

There are many other players who warrant selection as much as Butt especially when you consider his past international failings and his utter lack of remorse. Butt is the much like Lance Armstrong - sorry he got caught, not an ounce of remorse.

 

[MenInG]

Yes but why does he need a fair crack, the same media that was bashed by Butt and his family are now fawning over him ?

There are many other players who warrant selection as much as Butt especially when you consider his past international failings and his utter lack of remorse. Butt is the much like Lance Armstrong - sorry he got caught, not an ounce of remorse.

Same as Mohammad Amir

 

[TahirFan]

I was expecting a place in the Pakistan Test squad

That's like the devil telling God "I was expecting a place in heaven"

 

[Analyze1]

right but why asif is not playing at least give him a chance

I reckon he would have been recalled had the PSL scandal not happened. Good batsman, definitely better than Shehzad and Masood, probably not better than Sami Aslam

 

[Slog]

Also salman try not to score at strike rate of 70 in the one day cup. Selectors may be silly enough to ignore but us fans won't .

The funny thing is that he had a fairly pedestrian domestic season

in one days he had strike rates reminiscent of 1970s and clearly selfish knocks

in FC a handful of decent performance but nothing to write home about. certainly if it was some random youngster the performances would be lost in the sea of other okay performances

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Same as Mohammad Amir

No big difference, amir admitted his guilt too late, but he did admit it well before he exhausted every possible option. He has apologised multiple times unreservedly. He didnt peddle conspiracy therioes like Butt did for so long.

Butt exhausted every legal option on the face of the earth to fight this ban, he was definant from day one. Even after the CAS verdict he took almost a year to admit his guilt, in between that he was still being defiant and still peddling conspiracy theriores.

When he did apologies it was very much a Lance Armstrong style apology, talking more about what he had suffered rather then what he made the nations, fans and team mates suffer.

Now he acts entitled, as if its his right to come back onto the team.


How you can imply that its the same as amir is baffling

Even Asif hasnt been as arrogant as Butt.

 

[MenInG]

All players went through a ban period

Whether one was good or bad in your view is your view

Unless there is a clause in pcb or icc rules which specifically forbids some players, Butt is entitled to same consideration as any other

 

[waleed88]

No big difference, amir admitted his guilt too late, but he did admit it well before he exhausted every possible option. He has apologised multiple times unreservedly. He didnt peddle conspiracy therioes like Butt did for so long.

Butt exhausted every legal option on the face of the earth to fight this ban, he was definant from day one. Even after the CAS verdict he took almost a year to admit his guilt, in between that he was still being defiant and still peddling conspiracy theriores.

When he did apologies it was very much a Lance Armstrong style apology, talking more about what he had suffered rather then what he made the nations, fans and team mates suffer.

Now he acts entitled, as if its his right to come back onto the team.


How you can imply that its the same as amir is baffling

Even Asif hasnt been as arrogant as Butt.

All 3 of them were given the same verdict, the same ban of 5 years... so the court saw their offense as the same...

this false attempt to glorify Amir is considered negligible in court.. all of them were let go off, and allowed to resume cricketing activities in the same time

 

[waleed88]

Which means all 3 were equally complicit

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

All players went through a ban period

Whether one was good or bad in your view is your view

Unless there is a clause in pcb or icc rules which specifically forbids some players, Butt is entitled to same consideration as any other

The court of public opinion still exists, additionally what irks me is when people say it’s all the same. It isn’t, it’s like saying a Major in the Nazi army has the same level of responsibility and guilt as Hitler.

It also completely ignores what level of remorse has been shown. Cricinfo summed it up best when they said Amir was remorseless, Asif was indifferent and Butt was defiant.

Don’t you feel wronged, that a person who apologised only because he was sorry he was caught, disgraced this nation and worse lied about it till the bitter end and blamed global conspiracies is now acting so entitled despite having such an average career?

Plus this is all ignoring the fact that Butt was medicore player overall.

All 3 of them were given the same verdict, the same ban of 5 years... so the court saw their offense as the same...

this false attempt to glorify Amir is considered negligible in court.. all of them were let go off, and allowed to resume cricketing activities in the same time

Which means all 3 were equally complicit

There are level of complicity and pointing that out isn’t glorifying Amir.

secondly their penalties were not the same. Butt and Asif were given suspended sentences on top of their 5 years bans, that’s still recorded and signifies greater guilt. Second, they all got varying jail terms. I don’t call that the same, do you?


Justice Cooke didn’t let Amir get away that everything was due to influence from Butt, but he did say the following


in paragraph 20 when in regard to Butt

It is clear to me that you were the orchestrator of this activity, as you had to be, as Captain

then again

As I have already said, you bear the major responsibility for the corrupt activities, along with Majeed. The evidence of the text exchange between you and Majeed in the West Indies in May 2010 shows your involvement in such activities outside the scope of the period covered by the indictment.

paragraph 23

I consider that you were responsible for involving Amir in the corruption

paragraph 24

Not only were you involved but you involved others and abused your position as captain and leader in doing so, bringing to bear your considerable influence on Amir at the very least

Addressing Amir

Paragraph 35

You have pleaded guilty to the same two offences as those of which Asif has been convicted. I give you full credit for that plea, which the Prosecution accepts was entered at the first real opportunity. Following the ICC arbitration in Doha, where you contested the allegations, you made it clear to the cricket authorities that you accepted your responsibility for what you had done, despite the situation in which you found yourself where, it seems, activity such as this was widespread. It took courage to do so, as appears from the information I have been given about pressures you faced.

Again he doesn’t let Amir completely off the hook and blame it all on Butt, however tell me again its all the same ?



We shouldn’t be rolling out the carpet for mediocre 31 year old, who is only sorry that he got caught, and is the biggest culprit.

He could actually be Saeed Anwar reborn, and if still behaved the same way butt did i would say the same.


If Amir didn’t accept guilt until every option was exhausted and then we he did say sorry , did it so begrudgingly it was offensive I’d say the same thing.

it’s for the same reason i don’t want Asif back even if he takes a 100 domestic wickets in the following season ( and he wasn’t as bad as Butt)

 

[ask_analyse_act]

if he score hundreds at 120 SR. infact many will change their mind to give him a chance.... provided how desperate they are now to replace sharjeel

 

[waleed88]

The court of public opinion still exists, additionally what irks me is when people say it’s all the same. It isn’t, it’s like saying a Major in the Nazi army has the same level of responsibility and guilt as Hitler.

It also completely ignores what level of remorse has been shown. Cricinfo summed it up best when they said Amir was remorseless, Asif was indifferent and Butt was defiant.

Don’t you feel wronged, that a person who apologised only because he was sorry he was caught, disgraced this nation and worse lied about it till the bitter end and blamed global conspiracies is now acting so entitled despite having such an average career?

Plus this is all ignoring the fact that Butt was medicore player overall.






There are level of complicity and pointing that out isn’t glorifying Amir.

secondly their penalties were not the same. Butt and Asif were given suspended sentences on top of their 5 years bans, that’s still recorded and signifies greater guilt. Second, they all got varying jail terms. I don’t call that the same, do you?


Justice Cooke didn’t let Amir get away that everything was due to influence from Butt, but he did say the following


in paragraph 20 when in regard to Butt



then again


paragraph 23



paragraph 24



Addressing Amir

Paragraph 35



Again he doesn’t let Amir completely off the hook and blame it all on Butt, however tell me again its all the same ?



We shouldn’t be rolling out the carpet for mediocre 31 year old, who is only sorry that he got caught, and is the biggest culprit.

He could actually be Saeed Anwar reborn, and if still behaved the same way butt did i would say the same.


If Amir didn’t accept guilt until every option was exhausted and then we he did say sorry , did it so begrudgingly it was offensive I’d say the same thing.

it’s for the same reason i don’t want Asif back even if he takes a 100 domestic wickets in the following season ( and he wasn’t as bad as Butt)

Everyone has a chance to prove their innocence, Butt did nothing wrong in that whoever faces an allegation has to find it and prove it in court... it stands a case for them when they are wrongfully accused or rightfully... law gives them a chance to pursue their innocence..

Secondly so Butt is an average cricketer overall... does he not deserve a comeback based on his performances in domestic...

Or is Amir the only one who gets this clean chit because he is a 'special talent'

THe law equally let them off the hook in 5 years... which has also to do with the 'Fake Sheikh's' proofs provided which now held no value in court... it does make a case of entrapment for all of them, as argued by Michael Atherton...

Hence, regardless of who's sentences were depleted and what sentences they were given.. in the end all of them were eligibile to play for Pakistan at the same time, hence all of them deserve an equal chance to come back in the side

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

As harsh and bitter as this may sound, Butt is actually legally entitled to don the star and crescent

If the selectors haven't picked him for the test squad it can only be argued that they did so in light of his domestic performances.

We'd have to delve deep in player by player analysis to see whether Salman makes it into the top FC batters for the country @ 4 day cricket.

This filter coupled with the new batter selections for the WI squad might give us a better picture of has merit been applied across the board or has he actually been omitted for non cricketing reasons.

 

[Mamoon]

Not needed in any format.

 

[London_Lahori]

He's given an interview to PP so hopefully he reads this thread.

You're not needed, you're not wanted and you'll never be forgiven by the Pakistan fan base. You were an average player when you got banned and you will only have regressed in the past 7 years. Your fielding was also shambolic and you can go back to being inspired by and sitting in Mazhar Majeed's sports cars.

 

[shaz619]

We can look to define the level of guilt of each man, Butt's is slightly greater then Amirs and Asif specifically because he was the captain but he didn't exactly hold a gun to Amir and Asif's head so am not sure why folk are more open to the return of Amir or Asif then say a Salman Butt (providing he ticks all the box's in terms of the criteria for selection).

In the end everyone is a victim of their own deeds. It makes more sense to either be in favour of the trio or completely against them, but many posters are somewhere in-between and reek of hypocrisy if you ask me.

 

[shaz619]

He's given an interview to PP so hopefully he reads this thread.

You're not needed, you're not wanted and you'll never be forgiven by the Pakistan fan base. You were an average player when you got banned and you will only have regressed in the past 7 years. Your fielding was also shambolic and you can go back to being inspired by and sitting in Mazhar Majeed's sports cars.

Well maybe not the sports car but definitely the Range Rover! it will have plenty of room for Amir and Asif as well it can get a bit tight in a sports car

 

[Amjid Javed]

Has probably been left out of test sqaud so that Shan masood could be continued to be given a run in the side, If i had a choice between the two id go with Butt been selected.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Should never be selected again.

 

[pakistani pride]

He is a Test batsman. He deserves a chance. Simple.

Really MIG based on what?
Even in his so called prime he was below average.

 

[MenInG]

Really MIG based on what?
Even in his so called prime he was below average.

Bro - he shouldnt be discarded based on his past. That point has come and gone.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Bro - he shouldnt be discarded based on his past. That point has come and gone.

MIG bhai you also need to realize that it is extremely difficult for genuine Pakistani cricket lovers to be impartial to Salman's case as he didn't just sling the country's name through mud rather, his antics practically cost us 2 World tournaments in 2011 and the 2012 T20 cup.

We literally hit the reset button with the spot fixing saga and it took us 7 years of grinding hard work in the heat of the dessert to win back the respect and adulation of the cricketing fraternity during the 2016 English Summer.

Salman's actions caused pain and suffering to Pakistan which nobody other than the trio associated with the spot fixing deserved yet we had to endure those experiences and had to work from the ground up to restore back the long lost respect for our cricketing nation.

Salman has contributed zilch/nothing to diminish the pain that has been caused to people and to the nation for almost a decade now, while for someone who is guilty of such a crime it is appalling that he has the audacity to even question why he might not be considered for national selection again. I am even more disappointed that at no point was he asked a question on whether he feels remorseful of how all this panned out and how the Spot Fixing Saga damaged the name of Pakistan Cricket - I think we as fans and the nation at least deserve his acknowledgement to the fact that it was HIS DOING which initiated this vicious cycle that we just completed a year back.

I agree that legally he is entitled to play for Pakistan and no one can argue about that however, are we really going to look past the fact that this is the same guy who was the prime reason that we lost a 17 year old Amir (at the top of his game), disrupted the balance of our pace attack which to this day still hasn't recovered, cost us 2 World tournaments and made people look at Pakistan cricket with suspicion? If you think Salam being in good domestic form outweighs everything that I have mentioned then by all means please !! Bring him back and give him another shot at the national level (A 'Privilege' that should only be provisioned for a select few) however, the next time we will hit a fixing scandal head on don't question the system on why that might be happening.

 

[coy0607]

I reckon he would have been recalled had the PSL scandal not happened. Good batsman, definitely better than Shehzad and Masood, probably not better than Sami Aslam

as a test opener, I dont think he's better than Shehzad, or even Masood...
he averages 30 after 30+ tests!

 

[Black Zero]

No one cares man. Just hang up your boots and leave cricket.

I care
and
cannot wait for him to back with a bang.

 

[Pete Rose]

Opening is covered. plus that bit about being a match-fixing captain....

 

[Boi]

I'd have Shehzad and even Shan over this guy. Atleast theyre pretty decent fielders.

 

[shaz619]

People go on like Salman Butt pointed a gun at Amir and Asif, go on guys we're all going to make a quick buck! and if you don't want all this gorgeous gorgeous money then am going to have to pull the trigger guys

 

[pakistani pride]

Bro - he shouldnt be discarded based on his past. That point has come and gone.

Im not even talking about that. Like i said in his so called prime he had an average of 30 odd.

On what basis does he deserve a recall?

 

[MenInG]

Im not even talking about that. Like i said in his so called prime he had an average of 30 odd.

On what basis does he deserve a recall?

He did well in the QEA trophy and so he gets in the queue. Whether other deserving people beat him to that spot is fair enough.

 

[pakistani pride]

He did well in the QEA trophy and so he gets in the queue. Whether other deserving people beat him to that spot is fair enough.

What are his figures in the QEA trophy?

 

[shaz619]

What are his figures in the QEA trophy?

He was the 6th highest run getter and averaged about 50, also played a key role in the final.

 

[pakistani pride]

He was the 6th highest run getter and averaged about 50, also played a key role in the final.

So there are 5 players who performed better? Who of those 5 are in the sqaud vs WI?

 

[sshakir411]

The sense of entitlement though. Maybe if you showed remorse and admitted your mistake...but you still remain a mediocre player with a terrible legacy. Change either of those two first then think about a getting a call up.

 

[Junaids]

What are his figures in the QEA trophy?

Shan Masood averaged 36
1 century, 1 fifty, SELECTED

Salman Butt averaged 50
4 centuries, 2 fifties, MoM in Final, NOT SELECTED

 

[sam_ahm]

Fixing in PSL is the reason Salman was overlooked.

I'm pretty sure he will be back if he continues to perform at domestic level, if anything after Misbah and YK there will be more open places in the test side and even to this date the opening slots are as open as they were back in 2010. Sherjeel involved in fixing has infact opened up another place in the side which can be filled by Salman.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Bro - he shouldnt be discarded based on his past. That point has come and gone.

Yeah agree.

But for tests we have better openers.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

He'll be 33 at the end of the summer and even in his mid 20s he could only just scrape above 30 when it came to his test batting average. With this in mind why even bother - he's too old and was not anything special even at his peak.

 

[Belawal2014]

I care
and
cannot wait for him to back with a bang.

Ah ok. So...no one cares.

 

[Belawal2014]

Shan Masood averaged 36
1 century, 1 fifty, SELECTED

Salman Butt averaged 50
4 centuries, 2 fifties, MoM in Final, NOT SELECTED

Well... we all know why Shan Masood was selected, and it wasn't because of spectacular performances.

 

[JibranAnsari]

I dont want to see him anywhere near even the A team.

 

[pakistani pride]

So there are 5 players who performed better? Who of those 5 are in the sqaud vs WI?

Anyone?

 

[Abdullah719]

Anyone?

Just Usman Salahuddin of the five above Salman is in the Test squad.

 

[JoniInsafian]

Anyone?

Players more deserving.... Kamran Akmal, Fakhar Zaman, Asif Zakir, Imam-ul-Haq...

 

[JoniInsafian]

Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Butt=Future

Salman Butt=Horrible past

 

[Specialisttailender]

For the sake of cricket and Pakistan's reputation he shouldn't be representing Pakistan ever again.

 

[MenInG]

Horrendous start to his Pakistan Cup; gone without scoring

 

[shah_1]

PSL scandal happened, I think is the reason for him not being selected.

 

[Citizen4]

failed miserably today, got out on a duck in the first over

 

[khurram39]

I think current spot fixing scandal hit him the most and after deserving a call to international cricket he will definitely miss that.

 

[sabashahid]

I think they gave a chance to kamran akmal, since both of them are opening batsman kamran was obviously the first choice due to his recent domestic record maybe next time salman would be given a chance as kamran didnt perform that well in westindies.

 

[Pete Rose]

I think they gave a chance to kamran akmal, since both of them are opening batsman kamran was obviously the first choice due to his recent domestic record maybe next time salman would be given a chance as kamran didnt perform that well in westindies.

he deserves no shot in the odi team. he did not score enough runs in domestic odi tournaments and neither did he score anything beyond a strike rate of 70. In the test team there are plenty of opening options.
useless, disgraceful cricketer who deserves no spot in the team.
And he wont be sent to england for the CT to embarrass Pakistan further.

 

[RickyG]

Players more deserving.... Kamran Akmal, Fakhar Zaman, Asif Zakir, Imam-ul-Haq...

That is an outstanding record from Asif Zakir. .

Salman Butt is a disgraced cricketer and was comprehensively outperformed by Asif Zakir.

 

[redmaverik84]

Salman getting into the Pakistan team would be the biggest cricketing travesty ever! I personally was against Amir being included as well but considering the state of Pak cricket at that point and the kind of talent he had an exception could have been made. But getting this guy in would make an exception a rule. He is also a 32 year old baked cookie who has done well locally but will be found out at the Int level, look at his record before the ban. What i hate most about this guy is the fact that despite Amir admitting and turning witness he continued to deny and insisted he was being made a scapegoat because of his middle class background. Then when they pronounced him guilty he changed tack immediately, admitting to the offence and being a nice kid. He also has a bloody big mouth and has the air of entitlement about him.

 

[MenInG]

His Pakistan Cup is not going according to plan!

 

[chashmish]

To me, all 3 of them are disgrace and should not be in the Pakistan team. Amir is already there and his selection will come back to bite us soon because no matter what happens, a leopard doesn't change its stripes. Enough data exists that show a cheat at 18, stays cheat for his life. Aamir fans will learn it the hard way.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Yah , brilliant test record to back him up.

If anything he is an ODi batsman not test batsman.

Yes, but his greatest achievement was in a Test Match. Spot fixing

 

[PakLFC]

He should be in the team as opener. All our other openers are garbage to say the least. May as well start every innings one man down.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

He should be in the team as opener. All our other openers are garbage to say the least. May as well start every innings one man down.

what does that make butt considering he has a test average of 30?

 

[PakLFC]

what does that make butt considering he has a test average of 30?

He is still better then most of the others we have. Deserves a chance to reclaim his spot, I hear he has been doing well at domestic level as well.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

He is still better then most of the others we have. Deserves a chance to reclaim his spot, I hear he has been doing well at domestic level as well.

why do others have better records than him, surely garage shouldn't be better than Butt?

 

[PakLFC]

why do others have better records than him, surely garage shouldn't be better than Butt?

Which one of our current openers is really doing well for the national side? If Butt is performing at national level then he should be given an opportunity. This has always been the criteria for international selection.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Which one of our current openers is really doing well for the national side? If Butt is performing at national level then he should be given an opportunity. This has always been the criteria for international selection.

well Azhar Ali is currently ranked number 7 in the world

Shehzad is only just back and averages 10 more than Butt

Like you say though garbage

 

[Junaids]

well Azhar Ali is currently ranked number 7 in the world

Shehzad is only just back and averages 10 more than Butt

Like you say though garbage

Ahmed Shehzad's entire Test career outside Asia reads:

37 runs at an average of 18.50

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Ahmed Shehzad's entire Test career outside Asia reads:

37 runs at an average of 18.50

after a grand total of ONE match

 

[Junaids]

well Azhar Ali is currently ranked number 7 in the world

Shehzad is only just back and averages 10 more than Butt

Like you say though garbage

after a grand total of ONE match

Sure.

My point is you can't rely upon Shehzad's superior record, because nobody has dared pick him outside Asia because of his obvious technical weakness outside off-stump.

I don't want Butt back, but only because he is too old: the team can't afford another thirty-something. I think the time is approaching for Azhar Ali to retire too, for the same reason.

But Butt has the best off-side game of any modern Pakistani, which means that when there is a slip cordon, he is the best bet as a batsman.

 

[Hamza_]

[MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] Shehzad has temperament for test cricket.

He will do fine there, But I think Sami Aslam has way more potential than Shehzad as a test batsman.

Salman Butt chapter should be close.

 

[Lefthanded]

I find it strange that people think or want all three spot fixers to be judged equally.

Amir wasn't an innocent baby, but he wasn't the captain of the team.