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'It's Insane' - Ramiz Raja Ridicules PCB's Appointment Of Salman Butt As Selection Committee Member

image-lpo3ltylSalman Butt (X.com)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been on a mission to overhaul the entire cricketing structure in the aftermath of a disastrous World Cup 2023 campaign. Besides the shuffle of captains, the senior team's selection committee underwent a complete overhaul.

Former Pakistani pacer Wahab Riaz was formerly appointed as the chairman of the newly formed selection committee. Additionally, PCB added more members to the group last week.

Former Pakistani cricketers Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, and Rao Iftikhar Anjum will serve as consultants to Wahab. However, the move backfired on PCB, as they received severe backlash from the fans and the rest of the cricket community.

PCB's decision to overlook Salman Butt's tainted past to hand him an important job role within the organisation baffled former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja. 

Ramiz Raja Slams PCB For Employing Salman Butt!

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Raja referred to Butt and Akmal's appointment as "insane" and brought up Butt's past during the conversation. He believes it sends the wrong message globally and puts Pakistani cricket in a bad light.

"It's insane to have a selection committee consisting of a member whose decision can be termed as a display of filial affection or non-affection and another who was locked up for match fixing," Ramiz said.

Salman Butt was slapped with a 10-year suspension from the ICC back in 2010 after the former captain, alongside Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, was caught in the shameful act of match-fixing.

Interestingly, Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal also received an official notice from the ICC's anti-corruption unit, and the duo were later called in for questioning for their alleged involvement in the scandal.

Having said that, PCB issued a clarification, saying that Butt and Akmal's involvement is restricted to player scouting and collecting feedback and recommendations. They do not have the authority to influence the selection committee's decisions in any capacity. 

"Consultant members assist the chief selector by providing recommendations, collecting feedback and identifying top-performing talent in domestic cricket.  The Consultant Members do not have any independent decision-making powers," PCB letter read.

The infamous match-fixing scandal enforced a dark era of Pakistan cricket, and it took them years to come out of that setback. Now, the convicted former player's return is giving a nightmare to Ramiz Raja, who is wary of the worst-case scenario.