Salman Butt breaks down while apologising to Shahid Afridi

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Butt and Afridi during practice

Pakistan's batsman Salman Butt was seen by a spectator apologising to the current Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, reports Cricbuzz.

Butt along with Mohammad Asif and Muhammad Amir were part of the spot-fixing scandal during the 2010 Lord’s Test against England. The cricketers were later banned for five years by International Cricket Council (ICC) and also sentenced to serve time in a United Kingdom's jail.

According to the spectator who eye witnessed everything, Butt approached Afridi at the NCA where the Pakistani team is getting ready for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour which is scheduled to start on September 27.

"Butt who is coming to the NCA to train went up to Afridi in the presence of some other players and with tears in his eyes apologised to him," one spectator said. "Butt told Afridi he was sorry for what had happened in England and that he should have listened to his (Afridi's) advice.

"He asked the Pakistan T20 captain to forgive him for his role in the spot-fixing scandal. Afridi kept quiet and then obviously embarrassed by the situation mumbled to Butt that he should focus on his cricket," the spectator said.

The ICC on August 19, 2015 confirmed that the sanctions against Butt and others will expire at midnight on 1 September 2015 and that they will be eligible to return to competitive cricket, at both domestic and international levels.

The three players were found guilty of various offences of corrupt behavior relating to the Lords Test between England and Pakistan in 2010 by the independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal on 5 February 2011.

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Edited by Staff Editor