I didn't want to turn this thread into social commentary but Salman Butt epitomises class privilege in Pakistan. Compare his treatment to that of Ata-ur-Rehman. Came from an ordinary background, not even possessing any cricket boots when he was first spotted. He was on the fringes of the Pakistan team in the 1990s and lacked any social connections so was an easy sacrificial lamb for Qayyum. Now he drives taxis in London and nobody hears his story while Butt lands commentary gigs.
I'm not saying he didn't deserve punishment, but look at the double standards. Salman Butt on the other hand comes from a middle-class Lahore family, he gets educated at an English school and spotted at an early age. He was fast tracked through the ranks and became a mainstay in the national team through the 2000s.
He did show early promise but never fulfilled his potential through poor fitness, atrocious running between the wickets and an entitlement complex. There are stories of Butt asking curators in domestic cricket to shave off the grass on a pitch so he could compile easy runs. His Test record is the epitome of mediocrity, failing to average much higher than 30 even on the featherbeds at home. But he rubs shoulders with the right people and hoodwinks you with sporadic performances to suggest he's at least a poor man's Saeed Anwar.
Despite a secular upbringing, he exhibits enough religiousity to stay on Inzamam's good side and his failures are tolerated, lucky the alternatives were even more pathetic. He had been groomed for captaincy for years by the PCB which shows what judges of character they are.
Butt was the establishment favourite who could present a clean shaven, handsome, almost Western face to the rest of the world, with fluent English and (sometimes) fluent batting, and plenty of snake oil salesman charm. Forget his mediocre batting - at least he came from the right background. Him "dedicating" the Oval Test win to the flood victims is even more revolting in retrospect knowing he was to sell his country but that's Salman Butt for you - less a cricketer and more a PR conman.
Its that same entitlement complex that was evident after being caught redhanded. He denied and denied involvement, inexplicably given a platform to spout his barefaced lies in TV studios and play the victim. At least Amir confessed his guilt at an early stage, Asif smart enough to keep his mouth shut, but this guy was shameless throughout that period. I'm sure Butt regrets being exposed in England - in Pakistan he'd have received a slap on the wrist because his buddies would've saved the day.
Now he's back and he's the same PR man. You'll see his name near the top of the domestic one day batting charts but look at his selfish SRs. He angles for a Test recall when at his prime he was merely the best of a sorry bunch. He charms Mickey Arthur by weaving a story of redemption when he was never sorry for being guilty in the first place - only sorry for getting caught.
The trio weren't all the same nor should be treated all the same. Look at the sentences, they all received 5 years because that was the punishment set in the ICC Code at the time. Butt received the LONGEST suspended sentence so Justice Beloff DID differentiate. Butt introduced the others to Majeed and he was the skipper who abused his seniority by pressurising a kid in Amir (yes not an innocent saint but was a silly kid nonetheless).
I'm all for redemption and rehabilitation, but only for those who were honest about their shortcomings which Butt wasn't. If you want openers, pick Sami Aslam, Imam-ul-Haq and Jaahid Ali not this conman.
has a better record in Test cricket.
