Afridi not in favour of Salman Butt's comeback

Karachi: Pakistan T20 skipper Shahid Afridi does not seem to be in favor of tainted cricketer Salman Butt making a comeback to the national team. A source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told PTI on Sunday that Butt, who completed a five-year ban for spot-fixing last September, was in contention for a immediate comeback to international cricket but Afridi showed his reluctance.

“Butt met with chief selector Haroon Rasheed last night in Lahore. The situation is that members of the Pakistan team have also indicated they have no problems with Butt joining the team but Afridi is not in favour of his inclusion,” the source said.

The source also said that the selectors were considering opener Butt for the World T20 after the team’s dismal batting performance in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

“The selectors are desperate to find a solution to the opening problem in the Pakistan team and will also certainly recall experienced opener Ahmed Shehzad. Salman Butt is also under consideration,” the source said.

He said the PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan and Najam Sethi are expected to meet Afridi in Lahore and convince him to drop his opposition to Butt’s recall to the team. While Afridi accepted the return of left arm pacer Muhammad Aamir but he is dead against allowing Butt a second chance.

“Afridi blames Butt for the spot-fixing scandal that shook Pakistan cricket in England in 2010, even though the former Test captain has twice apologised to the allrounder for his misdeeds,” the source said.

“Afridi has strong belief that Butt instigated and spoilt Aamir and should not be allowed to get back into the Pakistan team soon,” he added. Butt, when contacted, said he was keen to get another shot at reviving his international career.

“I know what I did was wrong and I have served punishment for it. I am a changed person and I have apologised to the entire nation, PCB and the team members including Afridi for what happened in 2010,” he said.

“Afridi is my senior and I have apologised to him whenever I met him. I am mentally prepared for a comeback. The rest is up to the selectors. But I am not keeping any high hopes,” added Butt.

Butt had replaced Afridi as the Test captain in England in 2010 after the latter announced his retirement from the longest format of the game following the first Test defeat to Australia at Lords that year. The spot fixing incident took place in the fourth Test against England in late August when Butt was captaining the side.

PCB unhappy with skipper Afridi’s tweet

Expressing annoyance over Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi’s latest tweets seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s direct help in cricketing affairs, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to issue either a warning or a show cause notice to the flamboyant cricketer.

Sources told Geo News on Sunday that PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan would take the final decision to discipline the T20 skipper.

Afridi, who has been facing severe criticism for his dismal performance in the Asia Cup, had urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to intervene in order to promote fresh cricketing talent in the country.

Afridi, who refused to speak to the media upon his return from Bangladesh on Saturday, chose social media website Twitter to express his views.

In tweets sent out on Saturday, he had requested the prime minister to look into barriers preventing cricketing talent from the grass-roots level to rise and prove their mark. He said: “I would want 2 request the PM to look into the barriers which r preventing talent from the grass root level to rise and prove their mark.”