Responding strongly to the criticism PCB faced for its call, Wahab named Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, explaining that world cricket has been forgiving.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) announcement on Friday of the appointment of Salman Butt as a consultant to new chief selector Wahab Riaz has sparked immense backlash. Riaz was therefore forced to call a press conference the following evening during which he revealed that Butt had been removed from his post with immediate effect. Responding strongly to the criticism PCB faced for its call, the former Pakistan fast bowler named Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, saying world cricket has forgiven.
“People were talking about all kinds of things about me and Salman Butt. Therefore, I’m going back on my decision and I’ve already spoken to Salman Butt and told him that he can’t be part of my team,” Riaz told reporters at Gaddafi Stadium. in Lahore.
“Some media and people resort to propaganda. Since we are working under the presidency of Zaka Ashraf in a transparent manner, I thank the board of directors for allowing me to choose the people I want to work with.”
On Friday, Butt was named among a trio of consultants alongside Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum, who were expected to take up their roles with “immediate effect” starting with the T20I series against New Zealand in January. It was later clarified that none of them would be directly involved in the selection issue. Among a few other reasons behind the criticism over the PCB call, the outcry was more over the appointment of Butt, who was given a role on the board for the first time since he was impose a 10-year ban by the ICC for his involvement in the case. -repair saga in 2010.
After serving his sentence, Butt had gone on to appear in the Pakistan Super League and domestic matches before working as a cricket analyst for various media houses across the country. However, his selection in PCB attracted heavy criticism.
Furious over some remarks made against the former Pakistan captain, Wahab cited the examples of Azharuddin and Jadeja, who were slapped with five-match bans by the BCCI in 2000 for their alleged connection in the match-fixing scandal which had shaken India. locust. The former Indian captain had served as president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association while Jadeja was appointed as batting consultant for Afghanistan’s World Cup campaign that ended last month.
“In India we have examples of Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja. They are working in cricket now and there is no problem. Azharuddin is president of one of the cricket associations and Jadeja was the batting consultant of Afghanistan in the World Cup,” Wahab said.
