Pakistan Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez played a pivotal role in Salman Butt’s dismissal as a selection consultant, as he expressed his vocal objection to his appointment as a selection consultant. The 39-year-old inclusion as selection consultant was met with harsh condemnation from the cricketing world and the decision was quickly reversed by PCB.
Former Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, and Kamran Akmal had initially been confirmed as consultant members by the PCB. The appointment of Salman Butt came as his first official role with the PCB after he was lifted from suspension due to his involvement in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.
Salman Butt’s troubled past, which includes his 2011 arrest for his involvement in a scheme to deliberately bowl no-balls during an England Test match at Lord’s, had a major impact on the argument. The ICC banned him for ten years, five of which were suspended.
According to reports, Team director Mohammad Hafeez found out about Butt’s employment in Australia, he allegedly urged top PCB officials to reconsider the choice. Startled by the news, Hafeez immediately phoned the Lahore PCB headquarters to inform them that Salman Butt’s appointment had been made in error.
He restated his long-standing disapproval of working with someone who had a dark past and questioned how he could cooperate with someone of that kind.
Before the team left for Australia, sources claim that Wahab, Salman Butt’s close friend, spoke with Hafeez about trying to bring him back into the national setup. Wahab used the circumstances of Mohammad Amir to convince the board to approve Butt’s employment despite Hafeez’s strong advice to the contrary. Hafeez faced harsh backlash on social media for this decision after a previous video of him disparaging working with fixers surfaced again.
Distressed by the criticism, Hafeez exerted pressure on the authorities to reconsider. Senior government officials, as well as the media and former cricket players, were among those who strongly opposed Salman’s selection. Consequently, the PCB changed its strategy and made the revelation at a hastily convened press conference that Wahab Riaz had organized.
Following the 2023 ODI World Cup debacle, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez were appointed head selector and team director, respectively. During the tours of Australia and New Zealand, Hafeez will also serve as the team’s coach. Shan Masood will assume captaincy responsibilities for the longer version of the game replacing Babar Azam.
