Salman Butt and Mohd Asif to play their first domestic game since ban

Muhammad Amir has enjoyed most of the limelight since the bans on the banned-trio expired on September 1, 2015. Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were not cherished by the fans and the local and international media mainly because of a bigger role in the spot-fixing saga and their age.

Muhammad Amir is now not only playing domestic cricket and T20 leagues but also has made it to the Pakistan team for New Zealand. Muhammad Amir enjoyed the status of ‘Golden Boy’ ever since his ban was lifted and the PCB even backed him using religion when ODI Captain Azhar Ali and Muhammad Hafeez left the training camp because of Amir. Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif didn’t have the same protocol. They were barred from playing 4-day games this season and could only feature in any until August 2016. Muhammad Amir, on the other hand, played the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Qualifying Round and then the main round as well after his team qualified.

Finally Salman and Asif have found some reprieve and are allowed to feature in the PCB National One Day Cup 2015/16 – their first competitive game since their ban in 2010. Both were contracted by WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) as non-executive 17th-grade employees in October 2015. They trained and practiced with the team during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy but didn’t play.

“We have decided to allow them to play the one-day cup starting after the ongoing first-class tournament in January,” a PCB spokesman had told another cricket website earlier. “By the end of Quaid-e-Azam trophy (the premier first-class tournament in Pakistan) they would have finished all of their rehab programmes and they will be free to resume their domestic cricket. The [one-day] tournament is slotted in the second week of the January.”

WAPDA is in Pool B of the One Day Cup and will play their first game against FATA on Sunday. Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad will be the host to the game. 16 teams, divided in two pools, are participating in the championship. Each team will play the seven others in their group one time. Top 2 teams from each group at the end of the 56-match group stage will qualify for the semi-finals. The final will be played on January 28 in the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Prominent OD players from Pakistan will not be a part of the cup as they will be busy playing in the national side on New Zealand tour.