Salman Butt claims corruption will always be a part of cricket

Having involved in spot-fixing himself following which he received a suspension, former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt would know a thing or two about the impact of corruption in cricket. In this regard, the 32-year old has claimed that corruption cannot be completely eliminated from the sport.

However, he did admit to the positive effect brought about by the efforts of the International Cricket Council (ICC) as well as the other relevant authorities in the aftermath of the infamous 2010 scandal.

Butt felt, “I have been there and I have seen it. Complete elimination is not possible because it requires just one moment of weakness and one wrong decision to destroy yourself with corruption. But it is a fact that after the spot-fixing scandal involving us in 2010, a lot of deterrents have been put into place to educate the players about anti-corruption measures. I myself have given lectures to teams on this issue from the first-hand experience. It has made a difference.“

The elegant left-hander, who was also Pakistan’s skipper then, got handed a 10-year ban for his involvement in spot-fixing in 2010. Later, it was reduced to 5 years upon his participation in an anti-corruption program. While one of the conspirators Mohammad Amir successfully reintegrated back into international cricket earlier this year, both Butt and Mohammad Asif have not been able to return to the team yet.

During the recently completed Quaid-e-Azam trophy, he led Water & Port Development Authority (WAPDA) to the title by scoring 741 runs from 10 matches at an average of 49.40 with 4 centuries and 2 fifties. With the experiment to utilise Azhar Ali as a makeshift opener not paying enough dividends, the southpaw could soon find himself in contention to partner Sami Aslam at the top of the order.

Butt maintained, “I am just thankful to God for giving me another chance to taste cricket success. I just know that there is true remorse in my heart for what happened six years ago and I just pray I get another chance to play for Pakistan and do something big for the country to atone for what I did. Honestly speaking, I have been through a lot and I realise how badly I damaged the image of Pakistan cricket and myself.”

“But, I can only apologise and ask for forgiveness from all those people who were hurt by my actions. But, it is over now and I have served my time. I am 32 and my only aim is to get back to international cricket. My job is to perform and the selectors and board have to decide about my future. But, I am banking on getting back soon.”

‘India wants to isolate Pakistan’

A part of the mid-2000s team which regularly played against India both home and away, Butt expressed disappointment at the recent lack of fixtures between the two Asian giants. He even wondered if there was a sinister agenda at work from the other side of the border.

The Lahore-born batsman claimed, “It is sad because there is so we can learn from each other. But unfortunately, one can do nothing about the politics. My personal experiences after playing in the first edition of the IPL and on India tours is very good. I don’t know perhaps India wants to isolate Pakistan in the cricket fraternity by not playing us but I don’t think that will ever happen as Pakistan will always be a top cricket nation.”