(MENAFN- Arab Times) LAHORE Pakistan Nov 11 (AFP): Pakistan's disgraced former captain Salman Butt said Tuesday he expected his country's cricket board to help him get an early end to his ban for spot-fixing. Butt was banned in September 2010 for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and jailed in Britain accepting money in return for deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord's Test against England. Fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were also banned over the incident one of the most notorious scandals in the history of the sport.
The ICC on Monday revised its anticorruption code paving the way for banned players to feature in domestic matches a few months before their bans expire. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to apply for Aamer to be allowed to play again but not for Butt or Asif. The bans are due to expire next August. Butt said he expected the PCB to help him as well. 'Cricket is my bread and butter and I hope the PCB take up my appeal as well as this is the only chance I can relive my passion that is cricket' Butt told AFP.
But PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told AFP in Abu Dhabi that Butt and Asif have not completed their rehabilitation a claim Butt contests. 'I have been to the PCB offices a dozen times in the past year to know what else I have to do to complete my rehab but I am still waiting for their final reply' said Butt. While handing out the bans the ICC Anti-corruption tribunal headed by Michael Beloff directed the players to publicly apologise for their crime tell future players how to avoid the pitfalls and to co-operate with the ICC.
Meanwhile Pakistan's cricket chief on Tuesday said that an appeal will be lodged with the anti-corruption unit to clear the way for seamer Mohammad Aamer to play domestic matches before his five-year ban expires.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday revised its anti-corruption code which means that banned players can feature in home matches a few months prior to the end of their ban specifically benefitting Aamer.
The ICC said it will be up to the home board the Anti-Corruption Security (ACSU) chairman Ronnie Flanagan and ICC Board to take the final call. Aamer's ban expires in August 2015. The 22-year-old bowler was banned alongwith then captain Salman Butt and pace partner Mohammad Asif for accepting money in return for deliberate noballs during the Lord's Test against England in 2010.
The ICC's anti-corruption tribunal banned Aamer for five years Butt for ten years with five suspended and Asif for seven years with two suspended. The trio were also jailed in Britain. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said his board was in the process of filing an appeal. 'The ball is in our court now' Khan told AFP on the sidelines of the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand. 'As soon as the code was revised and passed we started to prepare a paper and in the next few days we will send it to the ACSU chairman and he will decide' said Khan. Khan said the PCB was satisfied with Aamer's rehabilitation made mandatory for the banned players by the ICC tribunal.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.