Salman Butt given green light to make a comeback in the Pakistan squad

Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq were put on their toe by Misbah-ul-Haq when he confirmed that one of Pakistan’s former batsman could be recalled in case the openers fail to perform in the upcoming series against Australia. One of the weaker segments in Pakistan’s outfit as discovered in the series against Sri Lanka is their opening partnership.

Misbah-ul-Haq and the management tried out as many as three players for the opening slot, with Ahmed Shehzad getting the sack after his dismal show in the T20 opener at the Gadaffi stadium. Following the humiliation, Pakistan stuck to Fakhar and Babar Azam as the openers for the next two T20s which did not pay any heed.

Misbah-ul-Haq confirms Salman Butt as one of the options

After the humiliation and the axing of Sarfaraz Ahmed as the skipper, Pakistan’s chief selector Misbah has confirmed that Salman Butt will be given a chance to represent the national team despite his past. The former Pakistan skipper impressed the selection committee with his scores in the domestic circuit, which includes 237 that he scored against Balochistan earlier in the season.

“Shan Masood has performed well recently, Imam has done well in domestic [cricket] recently and Abid (Ali) also made 250 so those players who are performing in domestic cricket and also have performances at the international level are being preferred,” Misbah was quoted as saying by PakPassion. “Salman Butt is also there, once one of these players goes out of contention, then he can be considered.”

This comes as a setback to the national team and the youngsters, who were in due for a chance to make their debut for the national team before the debacle. The left-handed Salman has not been involved as a part of the national team since his five-year ban for his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal. Since the scandal broke, Mohammad Amir, one of the culprits in the event, has broken himself back into the national team.

Amir’s comeback certainly gives a ray of hope to Salman Butt, who continued to impress following the five-year punishment that he received from the International Council for Cricket (ICC). With Salman being 35, it gives him a chance certainly to take a last bite at the cake before calling it quits for the national team.

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