by: Atika Mehboob TN Sport Pakistan:
Salman Butt, the former Test Captain of Pakistan, is set to embark on a new chapter in his cricketing journey as he receives an offer from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to serve as the team’s batting consultant. This development comes hot on the heels of his dismissal from the position of assistant to the Chief Selector at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
How Butt’s tenure with the PCB concluded is a tale in itself, making waves in the cricketing world. After joining his fellow ex-Pakistan players Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Kamran Akmal in the aide group to the Chief Selector, the left-handed opener found himself stripped of his role within a mere 30 hours of assuming the position.
The decision was prompted by a significant backlash from cricket fans and pundits in Pakistan, expressing their discontent with Butt’s appointment. This marked a unique situation where the outrage of the fans influenced administrative decisions, leading to Butt’s removal from the selection committee.
In an unexpected turn of events, Salman Butt is now presented with an opportunity to contribute to Afghan cricket as the batting consultant for their upcoming T20I series against India scheduled to take place in January.
As the stage is set for Butt’s potential involvement with the Afghanistan Cricket Team, memories of his playing days resurface. Despite a modest start in T20Is, the southpaw honed his skills and, in the year preceding his ban, improved his batting average and strike rate in the shortest format of the game.
This transformation painted him as a promising prospect in the shortest format and he would have been one if it was not for the unfortunate event of spot-fixing which ended his career on a note, no player would ever fancy.
With the prospect of guiding Afghanistan’s batting lineup, Salman Butt’s journey takes a turn filled with both redemption and the promise of contributing his expertise to a rising cricketing nation.
