Should Salman Butt be picked for Pakistan again?

[Saj]

Back to back hundreds in the Quaid E Azam Trophy final for Salman Butt.

Many say that he's still good enough to play for Pakistan.

However do you think he should be picked for Pakistan again?

 

[Speedster777]

Yes definitely! He didn't give up under pressure and played positively. This is the type of player we want in our team.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Well,he's put up a good performance.Should be in the reckoning.

 

[Statsman]

For tests? No in my opinion. Considering Azhar Ali and young Sami Aslam are doing a fine job.

 

[Ami]

Nope.
Full stop.
Its too risky with Misbah and Younus going soon to have the likes of him and Asif running the roost as 'seniors'...
....keep em away!
Not to be trusted.
Full stop.

 

[ahmadharis1]

I don't think he should be selected as of right now, but I voted yes because he should be given the opportunity and if his domestic performances warrant re-selection I would be more than happy to include him

 

[omorst7]

Nope.
Full stop.
Its too risky with Misbah and Younus going soon to have the likes of him and Asif running the roost as 'seniors'...
....keep em away!
Not to be trusted.
Full stop.

should never be considered again to represent Pakistan again.

 

[Solid Snake]

Voted yes accidentally - but as far as I'm concerned, this disgrace should never play for the country again!

 

[On_the_up]

No he shouldn't, for the simple reason that he was barely good enough 5 years ago even if we go down the everyone deserves a second chance route.

 

[Buffet]

Yes, he should come back and also captain the Pakistani team for few years.

 

[AlphaFighter]

Personal sentiments aside. I think his only realistic chance is when both Misbah and Younis retire in the test team. He has to continue to score mountains of runs and captain well in Domestic Cricket to really spark his chances. It will also depend on how the team continues to perform. But he should keep what he is doing i.e. stay quite, let his bat do the talking, captain well and remain humble, apologetic in interviews and not get frustrated. So far he has done all the right things.

If Amir can be let back, then personal sentiments aside, so should Butt and Asif. 6 years have passed since the episode in 2010 and we can't punish individuals forever for something that they did 6 years ago, continuing to do so would be reeking of inhumanity.

 

[Slog]

No

He is at best a good player

Him coming in won't change results for the good or better so he's not worth the trouble and negative vibe

 

[Rayyman]

No he shouldn't!

 

[JaDed]

Yes, he has a point to prove.

 

[Markhor]

Wasn't even that good in the first place. Even his record on Pakistani phattas was dismal pre-ban.

 

[ali2220]

Yes, he should come back and also captain the Pakistani team for few years.

Are you being sarcastic?

 

[Abdullah719]

Salman Butt demands international return following twin tons in Quaid-e-Azam trophy

Karachi: Spot-fixing convict and former Pakistan captain Salman Butt pressed his case for a return to international cricket by scoring a century in each innings to help power his team to victory Thursday. The 32-year-old was playing in his first major first-class tournament after serving a five-year ban for spot-fixing, which ended in September in 2015. Butt scored 125 and 105 not out in the match for Water and Development Authority (WAPDA) against Habib Bank in the final of Quaid-e-Azam trophy. His second hundred helped his team draw the match with 198-3, after a target of 444 to win on the fifth day.

WAPDA won the final on the basis of a first innings lead of 42, their maiden title in the 62-year history of the tournament. “I have knocked the door [of international cricket] very hard and hope this will pave my way for return to [the] Pakistan team,” Butt told reporters. “I want to keep myself fit and keep my form alive. I am trying my best with the best of my intention. I have a wish and always want to be in every squad. I have the capacity but that is something the selectors have to tell and decide.”

Butt accumulated 741 runs with four hundreds in the ten matches of the tournament. This followed his 536 runs at an average of 107 in the National One-Day Cup earlier in 2016. Butt, along with team-mates Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, were handed the bans after they were caught in a spot-fixing case on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.

The trio was accused of arranging deliberate no-balls during the match, for which they were also jailed by a UK court. Pakistan fast-tracked Amir’s return to international cricket after the International Cricket Council amended its code last year, allowing banned players to return to domestic cricket six months before their ban ends.

Amir was selected for Pakistan in January 2016. Pakistan’s chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq last month said Butt and Asif will only be considered after they feature in first-class matches. “I hope the bad days are over,” said Butt. “I have gone through difficult times but my wife, my family and friends supported me.” Pakistan is currently touring Australia for a three-Test and five one-day matches. After his performance Butt is likely to get selected for Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies in March-April in 2017 where they will play four Tests, three one-day and two Twenty20 internationals.

http://www.cricketcountry.com/news/...owing-twin-tons-in-quaid-e-azam-trophy-557500

 

[umer187]

Performance wise: Yes
Morally: No
Don't compare him to Amir please. Amir was young and he accepted his mistake. Moreover, he was the captain

 

[sam_ahm]

One thing Salman has proved is his amazing mental strength, to go through all that, being in prison, pretty much everyone thinking this man is done and dusted and then he comes and scores a century in his very first List A game, has a magnificent One Day Tournament, performs reasonably well in the T20 tournament and then leads his team to victory in the First Class tournament scoring back to back hundreds in the final, batting for more than a day to save the game, and scores 700+ runs in the tournament.

Salman surely deserves a chance, infact among all the three Salman probably deserves a chance more than anyone else, Aamer did little in the domestic circuit and literally got his place back based on past performances, Asif has been good but not brilliant, if anyone has actually proved himself, at least on domestic circuit, it is salman butt.

 

[MMHS]

Why not? If he merits selection, why not? I don't see any reason why Butt, Asif & Amir should be treated differently.

 

[Buffet]

Are you being sarcastic?

Comment about captain was not serious. I don't think that any convicted fixers should play at the top level again, but that just me. But if you have Amir then other two shouldn't get a different treatment. If they can make into the team then they should play.

 

[Markhor]

Yes, he should come back and also captain the Pakistani team for few years.

Great fielder too. He'll sort out our slip fielding issues.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/akqSF9iJwzI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[AlphaFighter]

One thing Salman has proved is his amazing mental strength, to go through all that, being in prison, pretty much everyone thinking this man is done and dusted and then he comes and scores a century in his very first List A game, has a magnificent One Day Tournament, performs reasonably well in the T20 tournament and then leads his team to victory in the First Class tournament scoring back to back hundreds in the final, batting for more than a day to save the game, and scores 700+ runs in the tournament.

Salman surely deserves a chance, infact among all the three Salman probably deserves a chance more than anyone else, Aamer did little in the domestic circuit and literally got his place back based on past performances, Asif has been good but not brilliant, if anyone has actually proved himself, at least on domestic circuit, it is salman butt.

Cannot disagree with this. Amir being back was one thing. Salman Butt returning to the dressing room will be an even bigger challenge and i am pretty sure some team mates will have serious reservations, but it is nothing that can't be handled.

The real question is that if Butt returns to the team, who gets benched? I think his real opportunity will come once Misbah and Younis retire.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

This country would hire murderers to bowl if it thought it would make them win.

Only problem is, even after hiring jailed convicts and mastermind mafia leaders , we would still be average.

Is that worth it then?

No.

 

[sa]

He served his punishment and now if he performs he is allowed to play. the funny thing is that he is playing better than the " talent spotters" after the ban. It just to show there hasn't been a big progress in the domestic cricket that a salman butt is able to score more centuries than the tenure.

 

[Hasan123]

Ifs he is performing than why not? Don't think he is better than Azhar or Sami so he's gonna have a bit of wait to get a chance

 

[Ami]

I dont think these two have still admitted that they were in the wrong...even if they have by now, reluctantly, they took the longest route possible.

They have only done this just to be considered again....not because they were remorseful or genuinely sorry.

These two would not have admitted anything if they thought they were no longer good enough.

Amir was a different case altogether...despite being young and naive (still no excuses though) but was genuinely sorry for his role in the saga.

And, YES, we can have one rule for one and one for another...especially in this case.

And, do i really need to remind people that Asif for most of his career has been anything but a saint?

As for Butt, come off it guys, the way he acted most of the times after the scandal was akin to stretching the 'goo' to the point of extinction.

And I've heard he is now a born again muslim? ....God help us!

Apologies for this 'harsh' criticism but I'm old and ugly enough to know that we've been through this route before and look what happened to us when we faultered and walked blind sided in the 90s....

 

[MenInG]

Mohammad Amir - village teenager lead astray
Salman Butt - what excuse can we offer to the world? That is the problem PCB are faced with.

 

[Abdullah]

Ali and Sami doing fine with sharjeel next in line.
in odis butt is a no no.

 

[shaz619]

Wasn't even that good in the first place. Even his record on Pakistani phattas was dismal pre-ban.

He has paid for his crimes and is scoring runs in the FC tournament, so based on that the selectors can justify his selection and maybe he wasn't spectacular to begin with but there were good performances which account for something in addition to the international experience.

 

[aloo paratha]

No, because Sami is doing a good job internationally and he is the future, selecting Butt is a backwards step.

 

[shaz619]

Mohammad Amir - village teenager lead astray
Salman Butt - what excuse can we offer to the world? That is the problem PCB are faced with.

Then what was the point of him serving a ban for the specified time? what was the point of it all if he'd serve that only to be shunned? I think it's a problem which the ICC face then right in that their lenience has prevented permanent bans when we look beyond the law to find a reason to justify the trio's selection.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

I expect Sami to fail miserably in this series and will be replaced by Imam.

 

[Solid Snake]

Much better cricketers have been sidelined despite performing in first class games and being far more talented (Kevin Pietersen ring a bell).

Other factors can impact whether a player is selected or not. In Butt's case, a captain to do what he did, and then behave how he did after the event, is enough to show him to be someone lacking any character. I am extremely disappointed that people have forgiven this liar so easily. Guess we just have short memories.

Why not refresh them, it's easy enough to youtube some of this guys interviews in the months and years that followed the Lords test. I will try and show some restraint, so I'll settle for simply calling him a shameless individual.

And not that it should matter, but this guy was a rubbish bat. How anyone expects him to be some sort of saviour just highlights the knee jerk reactions of pakistani fans (Sarfraz drops one catch and is suddenly worse than K. Akmal )

 

[Markhor]

We used to on PP pre-ban call Salman Butt the "best of a sorry bunch".

His competition was Imran Farhat, Yasir the fisherman Hameed, Imran Nazir, Khurram Manzoor and assorted rubbish, so Butt looked like Gordon Greenidge in comparison.

However now we have Azhar, Aslam, Sharjeel and Imam there is no use for him.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

No. There are better options.

 

[Junaids]

Shaharyar Khan said he would be recalled if he "broke down the door". And he did.

He didn't just average 49.40 as an opener in a low-scoring competition.

He scored twin centuries in the Final, the second of which involved him batting 111 overs to save the match.

In fact, in the Final he batted 180.5 overs without being dismissed by a bowler.

At worst he should be your reserve opener.

 

[Boi]

lol whose he going to replace? Azhar and Sami are our best Test openers, there's no one better in Pakistan technically for the opening spot than these two. The likes of Imam and Fakhar are probably ahead of Butt in the pecking order anyway.

 

[msb314]

No

He is at best a good player

Him coming in won't change results for the good or better so he's not worth the trouble and negative vibe

Then why was Amir who has been average at best since his return - atleast Butt is killing it at the domestics.

Butt over Azhar in ODI's anyday...

 

[msb314]

We used to on PP pre-ban call Salman Butt the "best of a sorry bunch".

His competition was Imran Farhat, Yasir the fisherman Hameed, Imran Nazir, Khurram Manzoor and assorted rubbish, so Butt looked like Gordon Greenidge in comparison.

However now we have Azhar, Aslam, Sharjeel and Imam there is no use for him.

Salman Butt is still a better ODI opener than all the players you mentioned (except of course Imam who hasn't debuted yet) and could still be a decent Test opener if Azhar moves to no 3.

 

[kingusama92]

Hard to replace Azhar and Sami right now.

Doesn't make sense to dent team chemistry to place Salman Butt on the bench.

 

[Cosmic]

Salman Butt & Fakhar Zaman... We need just time replacement; Butt know how to play in Australia.. then we can replace with sami or Imam ul haq,,,,

 

[RehanG]

People dont realise or understand that Butt was actually THE CAPTAIN! and MASTERMIND of this all, we have no idea how many more matches were SOLD!, today i saw him on GEO Super and was complaining about something saying ' inko khuda se dar nahi lagta, khuda ko mon nahi dikhaya' and i was like 'bhai ye baat karne se pehle tumhe sharam se mar jana caahiye'

 

[Junaids]

People dont realise or understand that Butt was actually THE CAPTAIN! and MASTERMIND of this all, we have no idea how many more matches were SOLD!, today i saw him on GEO Super and was complaining about something saying ' inko khuda se dar nahi lagta, khuda ko mon nahi dikhaya' and i was like 'bhai ye baat karne se pehle tumhe sharam se mar jana caahiye'

No he wasn't.

Read the ICC Tribunal Determination. There wasn't even a real fix - it was a newspaper sting.

The newspaper heard there were real fixers in the team and approached the agent of half the team - who was reputed to be a fixer - and offered him £150,000 if he could get the three famous players in England (the skipper and the two star bowlers) to fix for him.

The agent replied that none of Amir, Asif or Butt were fixers, but he would try to recruit them.

The rest is history. Amir and Butt agreed to do it for a price, Asif refused until he was worn down and agreed to do it as an unpaid favour (which he thought made him safe from prosecution if he was caught).

Butt was guilty, but he was not the ringleader.

 

[Abdul]

If either him or Asif ever get picked again, I will be done with Pakistan cricket forever and probably support India as well over Pakistan when they play against each other; god swear.

 

[Junaids]

Probably not a great sign when your GOAT In Australia batsman scores twin centuries in the Domestic First Class Final at the same time that a Test series starts in Australia.

That's really, really embarrassing.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

NO.

Why is this even being discussed?

 

[Justcrazy]

If he is scoring runs consistently , he should be given a go.

Question is whom will he replace , already lot has been invested in Azhar and Sami.

There are other youngsters already waiting , it will not be fair on them.

 

[shaz619]

This. Akmal brothers and their father are notorious for shady deals. Butt, Asif and Amir are saints compared to Akmals.

Butt should not be outlawed, however we have a settled opening pair and some decent prospects who will get priority over him in our bid to invest for the future.

 

[Slog]

Then why was Amir who has been average at best since his return - atleast Butt is killing it at the domestics.

Butt over Azhar in ODI's anyday...

Amir was killing it iin Domestics last yr

was way better than Asif btw

and lol at Butt being better than azhar in odis. shows a bias.

 

[jeetu]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Should Salman Butt be picked for Pakistan again? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash">#Pakistan</a></p>— PakPassion.net (@PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakPassion/status/809436042763927553">December 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

I haven't voted since (personal opinion) I wanted to leave that to the Pakistani fans,

But my opinion- not in this lifetime.

 

[jeetu]

No for me. His guilt was higher as he was captain.

 

[Deception]

NO from me, should try new guys like Fakhar Zaman, Umar Amin, Imam etc instead
He should have been banned for life in first place, being a captain you brought such a shame to your country !

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

Hard to replace Azhar and Sami right now.

Doesn't make sense to dent team chemistry to place Salman Butt on the bench.

Yes there are really lighting it up right now, aren't they?

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

Those who don't want him to play need to go and read Justice Qayyum's report concerning match fixing.

His punishment was a ban for 5 years not life. Let the guy play on cricketing merit.

 

[Mamoon]

Honestly speaking, Azhar and Sami are boring my pants off with their Mannequin Challenge.

I don't care if some people get queasy and tell me that I should watch T20s only and this is Test cricket etc., but I have watched the game long enough to know that what they are doing at moment is not how Test cricket is played.

Since Azhar is an untouchable senior, I'm hopeful that at Melbourne or Sydney, Sharjeel replaces Aslam so that we can see some contest between bat and ball upfront.

If this pair continues to fail, Butt will eventually get a chance. It's quite obvious.

 

[fasihulhaq94]

despite his performances don think he will make it to the national team. The opener spots are locked and will remain so for the foreseeable future

 

[Junaids]

despite his performances don think he will make it to the national team. The opener spots are locked and will remain so for the foreseeable future

Have you watched the last three Tests?

Sami Aslam has a huge problem with short-pitched deliveries and Azhar and Sami have no scoring shots on the off-side. Oh, and Younis Khan is finished.

Pakistan need to drop Younis and lower Azhar to 3 and Babar to 4, and get Salman Butt opening with Sami Aslam.

 

[Ankit007]

If Amir can play, surely Salman can. After all both did same crime. Why any advantage to one.

But if he is not scoring in domestic games then Hell No...

 

[Abid Z]

Probably not a great sign when your GOAT In Australia batsman scores twin centuries in the Domestic First Class Final at the same time that a Test series starts in Australia.

That's really, really embarrassing.

Scoring centuries in a QEA trophy on the slow wickets of Pakistan is nothing really special.

Tackling the pace and bounce of Australia is quite another matter. You speak of Salman Butt as if he is some kind of saviour. let me tell you that tour in 2004/2005 was nothing special. Yes he made a 70 and a 100 against mcGrath and co but it was all in a losing cause in dead rubbers or when the opposition was racking up mammoth totals.

same story again in 2010. there are more failures than small successes all in a losing cause. He's ok in Australia and thats the best that can be said about his offside game cutting or pulling (the short ball). He is no saviour.

Averages or rather stats dont tell the full story. He is at best a one eyed king amongst the blind. Andhon mei kana raja.

 

[Junaids]

Scoring centuries in a QEA trophy on the slow wickets of Pakistan is nothing really special.

Tackling the pace and bounce of Australia is quite another matter. You speak of Salman Butt as if he is some kind of saviour. let me tell you that tour in 2004/2005 was nothing special. Yes he made a 70 and a 100 against mcGrath and co but it was all in a losing cause in dead rubbers or when the opposition was racking up mammoth totals.

same story again in 2010. there are more failures than small successes all in a losing cause. He's ok in Australia and thats the best that can be said about his offside game cutting or pulling (the short ball). He is no saviour.

Averages or rather stats dont tell the full story. He is at best a one eyed king amongst the blind. Andhon mei kana raja.

Read the post by [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION].

The unique thing about Salman Butt - for a Pakistani - is that he does well in Australia because he can play a range of low-risk scoring strokes to full balls outside his off-stump.

 

[Amjid Javed]

With Azhar failing and poor back up options domestically like shan masood and Ahmed shehzad then the door will remain open for Butt if hes still scoring runs.

 

[Slog]

Read the post by [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION].

The unique thing about Salman Butt - for a Pakistani - is that he does well in Australia because he can play a range of low-risk scoring strokes to full balls outside his off-stump.

He could do that six years ago

Also he averaged 42 which is very good but the way you make it sound as if it was some earth shattering numbers

Both his centuries were in dead rubbers for god sake

 

[MMHS]

He could do that six years ago

Also he averaged 42 which is very good but the way you make it sound as if it was some earth shattering numbers

Both his centuries were in dead rubbers for god sake

Actually, his 2nd hundred was in 2nd Test of 3 Test series at SCG.

42 is not earth shattering average but, it might take YK the whole tour to manage that amount & both current openers have to survive 2 sessions to reach 42 in a innings.

It's difficult to judge a player by numbers who last played 6.5 years back, but Butt's batting technique is like a proper opener. May be he'll fail at international level, but if players are not awarded for their domestic scores, how are they going to prove themselves?

 

[Junaids]

He could do that six years ago

Also he averaged 42 which is very good but the way you make it sound as if it was some earth shattering numbers

Both his centuries were in dead rubbers for god sake

To be honest, the longer that Salman Butt is kept out, the more certain it becomes that he will be captain again inside 18 months.

And even I don't want that.

But days like today just damage the reputation and future of Misbah, Azhar Ali and Younis.

 

[Abid Z]

Read the post by [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION].

The unique thing about Salman Butt - for a Pakistani - is that he does well in Australia because he can play a range of low-risk scoring strokes to full balls outside his off-stump.

I dont know the post by MMHS but I have seen Salman Butt pretty much since his debut. I can honestly say he is very mediocre when the ball does a little but hes excellent if you feed his pads or he can trust the bounce outside off. Usually in the subcontinent he trusts the bounce. He gets nice and low to full balls and has good judgement for leaving and pulling. Ok?? This is as much as i can concede. He plays nice and straight. As for a stodgy opener...Please this he certainly aint. There are run outs and all manner of brain fades glaring errors of judgement that make him as unreliable as any other opener in the last 20 years.

But you only have to look at the score boards of 2009 in Newzealand when he was out performed by Imran Farhat to see that he is no saviour. He is ok. thats it. He might cross 20 in half of the innings he plays and he might have made an odd 70 or even 100 here and there but there is nothing "unique" about him.

The trial is over, the punishment served i am simply discussing merits here. His batting is not what pakistan needs right now. They need Sami Aslam to develop (and not get hit on the head) and they need Azhar to grow a pair, then the openers are sorted. I they do get sorted it will only be a blessing coz in the last 20 years pak have somehow managed to do without a decent opening pair.

Its the middle order thats a concern, but the bowling has conceded over 400..this is criminal. Salman butt is the least of the worries.

 

[Justcrazy]

Butt will score more runs than Younis Khan.

Butt can be played at number 3 , without disturbing Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali.

 

[Jan Sher]

I would prefer Fakhar Zaman, as I was impressed with his modern positive attitude, unlike Butt.

 

[Jan Sher]

Butt seems outdated in the current aggressive era. We should opt for youngsters under 27.