Many of these guys who have cheated in exams, given bribe to traffic policeman. Guy made a mistake, he paid a big price. His family name was humiliated all across cricketing world. His career ended. Let bygones be bygones. When Amir gets chance to come back then why not Butt?
Butt should be given every chance to come back, but there are certain roles that should be off limits.
Commentary is one such. As a convicted fixer, there are many problems with making a person like him a “voice of Pakistan cricket”. There are two most primary reasons for this.
The first is the precedent it sets for the rehabilitation of criminals in the public eye - Butt is perhaps one of the most notorious fixers ever convicted by any country. What message are we sending to future generations of cricketers about the penalties of fixing? What message are we sending to the outside world about our commitment to cracking down on fixing? What message are we giving to rats like Saleem Malik and Danish Kaneria, who will leverage this to cry out at persecution until they too are given jobs by the PCB?
The second is the the voice itself that he is given: commentator’s voices are influential. They are respectable figures who understand the game well and have a solid grasp on the nature of the game. It is their job to sell cricket to the viewer - to educate the viewer of the beauty of cricket, to maintain in the public eye the spirit of the game, to be relatable figures who the audience can trust as a lens through whom to view the ongoing match. How will Butt talk about upholding the spirit of cricket when there is a misdemeanor on field? Given he is being offered a position as domestic commentator, how will he discuss youngsters making their ways in the first and second XI’s? How can he claim that an up and coming fast bowler is a real talent and should be looked after by the PCB, when he is himself responsible for destroying Mohammad Amir? He has already used his position within Central Punjab to bring youngsters like Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Usman Salahuddin onto his YouTube channel. How do we feel about a convicted fixer leveraging this continuous influence bestowed by the PCB to interact with our youngsters and our future?
Very few others have ever been convicted, and fewer still were Test captains. Cronje and Azharruddin are the only two cases that supersede Butt’s. Cronje is unfortunately no longer with us, while Azharruddin was only allowed back into the structure after he cleared his name of charges. Even then, Azharruddin avoided the public eye - he does not actively engage beyond a regional level.
Give Butt a job as regional batting coach. He is a smart person and works hard, and has the ability to communicate his skills in a localized manner. Make him a coach of one of the 90 upcoming City Cricket Associations - he can restore goodwill by doing a worthwhile job there.
But commentator? No way.
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