Pleading guilty: Salman Butt yet to receive green light from ICC for career resurrection

World cricket body’s approval still needed despite the confession.

KARACHI: Banned cricketer Salman Butt may have finally confessed his guilt in front of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the spot-fixing scandal of 2010, but he still needs to come to satisfactory terms with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The trio of Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir had all received bans for being a part of infamous no-balls in the Lord’s Test against England in 2010.

Butt, along with Asif, had pleaded not guilty in their previous versions to the PCB, which had been outright rejected by the ICC.

Recently, the ICC allowed Amir to return to domestic cricket before the end of his five-year ban, which has raised hopes for the other two to receive the same reprieve.

However, the PCB made it clear that the two players would only receive help if they were willing to speak the truth.

Butt’s confession has been forwarded to the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), who will give the green light on whether his case should be forwarded or not.

“The ACSU will decide whether Butt’s confession is worthy enough to move his case forward,” a PCB official told The Express Tribune. “That is the most important decision for Butt. Once the ACSU feels that he is speaking truth, they will ask him to appear at the ICC headquarters so that he can be questioned by the experts there.”

The official further explained that once the ICC was satisfied with Butt’s confession, the rehabilitation process would start.

“He’ll have to appear in a video where he will accept his guilt on camera followed by the delivery of anti-corruption lectures. After going through these stages, the ICC Board will make its decision whether to forgive his wrongdoings and be allowed to play domestic cricket like Amir.”

Before being banned, Butt had represented Pakistan in 33 Tests as he scored 1,889 runs at an average of 30.46 with three centuries and 10 fifties to his name.

He also played 78 ODIs and accumulated 2,725 runs at an average of 36.82, scoring eight centuries and 14 fifties.

The former opening batsman, who was also the skipper at the time of the spot-fixing scandal, was a part of Pakistan’s World Twenty20 winning squad of 2009 and played 24 T20Is for the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2015.

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