Photonews Logo Photonews logo
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
    Gen V Season 2 trailer
    Videos

    Gen V Season 2 Trailer Cast, Plot, Premiere Details

    July 26, 2025 3 Min Read
    IShowSpeed Daniel La Belle race
    Videos

    IShowSpeed Beats Daniel La Belle in 40-Meter Race, Hits 41M Subscribers

    June 24, 2025 2 Min Read
    Cardi B new single Outside
    Videos

    Cardi B’s ‘Outside’ Single Sparks Buzz Over Offset and Stefon Diggs

    June 20, 2025 2 Min Read
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Reading: Match fixing: “My redemption starts on the cricket field:” Salman Butt
PhotoNews Pakistan PhotoNews Pakistan
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Balochistan
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Photonews. All Rights Reserved.
PhotoNews Pakistan > Sports > Match fixing: “My redemption starts on the cricket field:” Salman Butt
Sports

Match fixing: “My redemption starts on the cricket field:” Salman Butt

Web Desk
By Web Desk Published August 31, 2015 6 Min Read
Share
SHARE

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and pace bowler Mohammad Asif can return to cricket this week following five-year spot-fixing bans, but age and public hostility mean the pair face a hard road to redemption.

On Wednesday they will join left-arm quick Mohammad Amir, whose own ban was relaxed by the International Cricket Council six months ago, in being free to restart their careers.

The trio were suspended in 2010 for arranging no-balls to order during a Test match in England, as part of a complex betting scam uncovered by a tabloid newspaper sting that rocked cricket and also saw all three and their disgraced agent Mazhar Majeed serve time in jail.

Left-handed batsman Butt, now 30, had captained Pakistan to Test victories over Australia and England and looked set for a long period as the team’s leader before his career crashed to a halt.

“My heart tells me I should wake up early in the morning and go to a ground and bat,” he told the media.

“It’s the cricket field where I want to start my redemption and prove myself again.”

Asif, who will be 33 in December, was already considered one of the finest exponents of swing bowling in the world and appeared set to become yet another Pakistani fast-bowling great until his suspension.

Asif said he was excited to be able to return to the game.

“It is definitely a long-awaited day for me,” the lanky right-armer said.

“I have started bowling in the nets and look forward to my return.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced both players must restart their careers at club level but both may face serious opposition among officials and the country’s cricket-mad public.

For all his feats on the field, Asif was always controversial off it. He had already failed two dope tests for drug use — one of which resulted in a one-year ban in 2008.

He was also involved in an infamous locker room fight with fellow fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in 2007, and was even accused by his film star girlfriend of swindling her out of $130,000.

Moreover, unlike Amir who confessed early on to his role in bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test of August 2010 in exchange for cash, both Butt and Asif denied their guilt until they had exhausted all legal avenues of appeal.

Butt, meanwhile, was widely blamed for coercing the young Amir into wrongdoing.

The PCB has devised a six-month roadmap for the duo, ordering them to play club and grade-two cricket before entering into first-class competition.

They are also required to lecture domestic players about the perils of fixing.

Age weighs heavily against the duo, particularly Asif who at 32 is now beyond the generally accepted peak years for a pace bowler.

Precocious Amir, who at 18 became the youngest player in history to take 50 Test wickets, received widespread sympathy from across the cricketing world at the time of his ban.

The PCB were able convince the ICC to relax his ban, allowing him to feature in domestic matches from April this year.

He took an impressive 22 wickets in four grade-two matches and is set to feature in the National Twenty20 tournament starting from Tuesday.

But a long lay-off exposed his fragile fitness, something which may hinder his early return to international cricket even though at 23 his best years could still be ahead.

“I am not looking for international cricket so soon. I have to work on my fitness and perform consistently then only I can expect to play at the top level,” said Amir, who says he is targeting a comeback for Pakistan in the World Twenty20 in India next March.

If he succeeds there, he could theoretically tour England in July, returning to the country where he was caught fixing.

Butt, Asif and Amir may have been forced out of the sport in 2010, but Pakistan moved on under the leadership of batting stalwart Misbah-ul-Haq, who has captained his country to a record 18 Test wins including series victories over Australia and England.

Many of the current crop of players are said to be opposed to the trio’s return, with some seen leaving the practice area once Amir started bowling in nets at the national academy in Lahore last week.

Some influential voices, like former captain Ramiz Raja have suggested they should never be picked again.

Also read: http://photonews.com.pk/salman-butt-asks-youngsters-to-learn-from-his-case/
TAGGED:Cricket
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

HBL Saving Made Easy
HBL Saving Made Easy

Recent Posts

OpenAI Parental Controls

OpenAI to Add Parental Controls to ChatGPT After Tragic Lawsuit

Djokovic Alcaraz US Open 2025

Djokovic Defeats Fritz, Faces Alcaraz in US Open 2025 Semifinal

Drake Bet on Sinner US Open 2025

Drake Bets $300,000 on Jannik Sinner at 2025 US Open

Post Archives

More Popular from Photonews

Mohammed Sinwar
Top NewsWorld

Hamas Confirms Death of Military Leader Mohammed Sinwar in Israeli Strike

3 Min Read
Lady Gaga Wednesday Season 2
Entertainment

Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 as Rosaline Rotwood

2 Min Read
Chinese President Xi Jinping SCO 2025
Top NewsWorld

Xi Jinping Condemns Bullying at SCO Summit, Advocates for New Global Order

3 Min Read
Top NewsWorld

Indonesia Slashes Lawmakers’ Benefits After Deadly Protests

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the revocation of lawmakers’ benefits to address anti-government protests that have…

September 1, 2025
Business

Revolut Launches Employee Share Sale at $75 Billion Valuation

Revolut, a leading UK fintech company, has announced a new employee share sale valued at $75…

September 1, 2025
Entertainment

GAP’s KATSEYE Campaign Shines Amid Sydney Sweeney’s Ad Controversy

On August 30, 2025, GAP’s “Better in Denim” campaign featuring KATSEYE, the girl group formed through…

August 30, 2025
Punjab

Mehrunnisa’s Viral Flood Coverage Clarified as Bhai Bhai Channel, Not BBC Urdu

On August 30, 2025, at 8:34 PM PKT, a young reporter named Mehrunnisa became a viral…

August 30, 2025
PhotoNews Pakistan

Always Stay Up to Date

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Categories

  • World
  • Pakistan
  • Punjab
  • Sindh
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Balochistan
  • Azad Jammu Kashmir

 

  • Top News
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Videos
  • Tech
  • Offbeat
  • Blog

© 2024 Phototnews
All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?