Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt will appear before the ICC’s anti-corruption unit next week in a bid to have his spot-fixing ban relaxed.
The 30-year-old was banned for 10 years but five of those were suspended, meaning he will once again be eligible to play competitive cricket in September 2015.
Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and their agent, Mazhar Majeed, were punished for arranging deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England. All four served prison sentences.
Aamer returned to action in January after the ICC revised its anti-corruption code to allow banned players to play domestic cricket a few months before the expiry of their suspensions.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said Butt and Asif had not completed the rehabilitation processes necessary to allow the relaxation to occur – a claim he contests.
“I am fighting to get the relaxation as I have complied with all the regulations. So I want to play domestic cricket,” Butt said.
If allowed to play domestic cricket, Butt will become eligible to return to international cricket after his ban expires on September 2 this year.
If the ICC agrees with the PCB’s assessment that Butt has not completed his rehabilitation process – which includes giving lectures to youngsters on the perils of corruption and a confession that he was the instigator of the deal – it may mean that the five years of his ban that were suspended become activated.
Butt said he has been fighting for the past 24 months.
“I am pleased that the anti-corruption unit of the ICC has summoned me for a meeting, which may take place on April 28 where I will get a chance to have my assessment,” he said.
