Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has lashed out at the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi for his unfair treatment.
Butt — who made his return to professional cricket after serving a five-year ban for his role in the infamous spot-fixing scandal which rocked the cricketing world in 2010 — expressed those views after guiding his team Wapda to the final of the Quaid-e-Azam one-day cup final on Thursday and revealed he was informed that Sethi asked the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises to not select him in the previous editions.
“I was told by journalists and others that Najam Sethi has asked PSL franchises to not pick me for the tournament last year,” said Butt. “Obviously it was not official but it was heart breaking for me as I believe it is injustice to someone who completed all the rehabilitation process and made a successful return to domestic cricket.”
He added: “I asked him [Sethi] in person as well but he refused and asked me to confirm from any other source. I just felt it was not right with a professional cricketer who put in all their life to play at this level. We deserve that much at least after putting so much effort in the ground day in day out. Cricket is a high risk game, so I think everything should be transparent and clear here so the new comers get motivated.”
Butt, who represented Pakistan in 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is, where he collectively scored 5,209 runs, further went on to criticised the selection committee for not selecting him in the Test team after continues performances in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy.
“I believe all players who are performing regularly in the domestic cricket should get a chance to represent the national team,” he said. “As you can see, all the top-ranked bowlers of Pakistan currently are those who performed well in the domestic cricket. They performed well here and got selected for the team and are now dominating at the international level. I am not just saying this for myself but for every player at the domestic level.”
Meanwhile, Butt during the meeting with the newly elected PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, also raised the same concern and asked if the board has enforced an unannounced ban on his selection.
