A day after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Salman Butt as a consultant to Chief Selector Wahab Riaz, there was a swift change in plans. On Saturday, ESPNcricinfo reported that Butt was removed from the post. The chief selector held a press conference, announcing the immediate withdrawal of Butt’s name from the consultancy panel. Salman Butt, known for representing Pakistan in both red-ball and white-ball formats, had faced suspension for admitting involvement in a spot-fixing incident during a 2010 Test against England at Lords.
ESPNcricinfo’s report suggested that an employee within the PCB was uncomfortable with the appointment of the 39-year-old former cricketer as a consultant and even threatened to resign. Faced with increasing internal pressure and criticism, Wahab Riaz organized an urgent press conference on Saturday to confirm Butt’s removal from the selection panel.
Notably, on Friday, the PCB had initially named former players Kamran Akmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, and Salman Butt as consultants to the chief selector.