While the Pakistani cricket fraternity is still divided over return of International Cricket Council (ICC)'s punished cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif into cricket arena, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Zafar Mehmood supports return of both the players to competitive cricket. He said this while addressing the function of Wapda Sports Board, held to mark the 55 years celebrations of the board, here at Wapda House.
Chairman Wapda said," Taking Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in Wapda was a difficult decision but we decided to give them a second chance." He said both the players already wasted five precious years of their career and received punishment of their deeds. He added that both are struggling, hence in order to give a lesson to others, both must be given an opportunity for competitive cricket. It may be noted that Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif are undergoing a rehabilitation programme under the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) since being relieved of the sanctions imposed on a five-year spot-fixing ban. The pair, along with another paceman Mohammad Aamir, were banned and jailed over a 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England. The trio was accused of arranging deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England in return for money in August 2010.
Aamir is already playing domestic cricket after being relieved of his five-year ban in January following an amendment in the International Cricket Council's code of conduct which allowed banned players to feature in home matches a few months prior to their ban ends. However, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were not given that relaxation.
PCB last month said Salman and Asif will be barred from first class and international match until the rehabilitation program ends on February 28 next year. Wapda Sports Board (WSB) Finance Secretary Syed Haroon Masood expressed the hope that the PCB would allow both the players to represent Wapda in domestic cricket event from January 2016. Asif said on the occasion that young players need to stay away from bad elements. We have paid heavy price of our mistake due to which our country had also earned bad name, he said, adding: "Players need to focus on game and game only." Salman Butt praised Wapda for accepting them. "I regret and apologise for what had happened but I have learnt my lesson and I want a chance to be a better person now," he said.
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