During a Lahore press conference today, Wahab Riaz, the chief selector of the PCB, declared that Salman Butt is no longer serving as a consultant to the chief selector.

This decision follows public outcry concerning Salman Butt’s appointment, given his history of spot-fixing. The media and fans raised concerns about the ethical considerations of PCB appointments and questioned the standards set for future appointments.

On December 1st, 2023, Salman Butt, along with Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar, was unveiled as a consultant to the PCB. The choice was met with criticism due to Salman Butt’s involvement as a convict in the notorious 2010 Pakistan spot-fixing scandal.

Wahab Riaz said “Salman Butt isn’t on any PCB panel. For me, he is a good cricketing mind who understands cricket and has been covering domestic cricket for the past 2-3 years. He was made my consultant just to get his opinion, based on which some media houses and people started doing propaganda. As a Chief Selector, it’s my decision as to who will work with me and whose support I need. But people started discussing nepotism and dosti, due to which I am reverting this decision. I have already spoken to Salman Butt and told him that he can not be a part of my team.”

Defending Salman Butt, Wahab Riaz added “I think people should move on. Whatever happened was some time ago, and he (Salman Butt) served his punishment.”

Regarding the selection of Salman Butt’s successor, Wahab Riaz conveyed that Asad Shafiq is set to join the selection committee starting January 1st 2024.