History suggests the International Cricket Council (ICC) never takes the bull by the horns. It is a toothless body that depends on other cricket boards from India, Australia and England to make all the important decisions.
That being said, the announcement of lifting bans on Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif came as a huge surprise for cricket followers, especially in Pakistan.
Fans in Pakistan are much divided in their opinion on Mohammad Aamir’s comeback to international cricket and donning Pakistan colours once again. And now this announcement from the so-called ‘governing body’ of cricket has added fuel to the fire and spiced up an already heated debate.
The decision from the ICC came from nowhere. Yes, everyone expected Amir to play domestic cricket at the end of this year because he followed the ICC protocols. Salman Butt at least came out with a confessional statement, a few months back. What about Mohammad Asif? Did he ever go through such protocols?
Amir completed his five-year ban, but Butt and Asif were banned for 10 and 7 years respectively. How come all three are allowed to make a comeback after just five years? You cannot simply have different rules for different players. The ICC must clear the ambiguity surrounding Asif’s case otherwise people will express doubts about this matter.
If you keep morality aside, there is no denying the fact that all three of them are exceptionally talented individuals who can walk into the national side anytime. Don’t forget that Amir and Asif were leading the pace attack of Pakistani team and considered as the most feared bowling duo in international cricket in 2010.
People had started comparing Asif with Glen McGrath and many predicted that he would surpass his exploits. Similarly, Amir was tipped as ‘the new Wasim Akram’, even the legendary left-arm fast bowler himself once openly admitted that at Amir’s age he never had such talent.
The loss of Salman Butt was two-fold, not only had he developed into a formidable opener, but he was also a shrewd captain in the making. In 2010 he was able to cement a permanent place in the team and his demeanour and ability to lead the side was appreciated by all and sundry.
When Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from Test cricket during the series, on that infamous tour to England, Salman Butt was the man who took over the reins and led his team to victory against Australia in the second Test at Headingley, Leeds, drawing the series 1-1.
By the end of that dreadful tour – including four Test matches against England – Pakistan lost three main pillars of the squad. It was a huge blow for Pakistan cricket and one must give credit to Misbah-ul-Haq who successfully managed to lift his team from the doldrums.
Despite the arguments made by different sections of society, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was relatively in control in dealing with Amir’s case; but Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif’s comeback to international cricket must have caused a splitting headache to the men at the top.
Already there are unconfirmed reports coming out of the Pakistan dressing room which suggest that many current players are not hiding their thoughts about the whole affair. Naturally, the coach and players must be feeling displeased at the thought of a sharing dressing room with these convicted players.
In the past five years, senior players like Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi have put a lot of effort in changing the image of the Pakistan team from spot fixers to a well behaved, clean bunch of cricketers. Of course, the coaches, Mohsin Khan and Waqar Younis, have also played their part during separate stints with the team.
If all three tainted cricketers are able to produce extraordinary performances in domestic cricket and selectors are left with no other choice but to consider them for national selection, then what decision will the PCB chairman take?
Will he stand for righteousness and send a firm message to the budding cricketers of Pakistan that no matter how much talent you’ve got you’re not bigger than the game and the pride of nation? Only time will tell.
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