“James Faulkner should have been taken into 2-day custody” - Salman Butt lashes out at Aussie cricketer over PSL payment controversy

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has slammed Australian cricketer James Faulkner after he withdrew from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 over a payment dispute. Butt opined that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have approached the police after an enraged Faulkner threw his helmet and bat onto a hotel chandelier, claiming his behavior could have been life-threatening.

A massive controversy erupted in PSL 2022 on Saturday after Faulkner pulled out of the remainder of the T20 league, alleging that the PCB did not honor his contractual agreement. The cricket board and PSL, issuing a lengthy statement, dismissed all claims and clarified that the 31-year-old had been paid as per agreed terms.

Blasting Faulkner over the issue, Butt said on his YouTube channel that sterner action should have been taken against the cricketer. He stated:

“He threw his helmet onto a chandelier and destroyed hotel property. He also misbehaved with people over there. According to me, James Faulkner should have been taken into two-day custody. It could have been life-threatening. There were people standing there and anything untoward could have happened. There should have been a police case on him. His behavior was below average, to say the least. PCB shouldn’t have let him go scot-free. I feel the cricket board should have handled this matter legally.”

In its statement, the PCB confirmed that the controversial all-rounder, who was contracted to Quetta Gladiators, will not be part of future PSL drafts. They also accused the cricketer of misbehaving with immigration authorities.

---

“His allegations are the height of stupidity” - Salman Butt on James Faulkner’s non-payment claims

Discussing the Australian cricketer’s allegations of non-payment by PCB, Butt dismissed all the claims and termed them “height of stupidity”. He commented:

“James Faulkner’s misbehavior is unacceptable. His allegations are the height of stupidity. PSL is the only league in the world that pays players 70 percent of their fees even before they play a match. So many players are part of the league. Platinum and Diamond category players are above him. They have received payments and this person, who is in the Gold category, hasn’t received his?”

Elaborating on the matter, the former Pakistan opener pointed out:

“He first gave an account from England and got money transferred into that. Then he gave details of some other account and asked the payment to be transferred into that account. There are reports that he wanted double payment.”

Last year, Faulkner turned down a one-year contract offer from BBL franchise Hobart Hurricanes, terming it "pretty embarrassing” and “disrespectful”.