Disgraced opener Salman Butt moved closer to making an international comeback after Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul Haq said the 32-year-old was being considered for national duty.
Butt returned to domestic cricket in January last year after serving a five-year ban for his role in the spot-fixing scandal in England in 2010 that also included fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. Left-arm quick Amir has already been fast-tracked into the national team and played a pivotal role in their Champions Trophy win in England.
“Salman Butt performed very well during the domestic series and displayed high level of fitness at the PCB camp despite being out of the game for six years,” Inzamam said.
The left-handed batsman scored 536 runs in the domestic one-day competition.
Former captain Inzamam added that while Butt won’t be part of the senior team in the immediate future, he remains in contention for future assignments.
According to reports, Butt could be included in the Pakistan ‘A’ team.
“We are trying not to push him directly into international cricket after such a long hiatus. Salman Butt is still in consideration for the future,” Inzamam added.
“He was there in our high-performance camp and was exceptional. It’s fantastic to see that a player has been out for five years but still maintained a high standard of fitness.
“He has checked all the boxes for his selection. We are not selecting him directly in the international circuit but are trying to have him play in the ‘A’ team first and will take it from there.”
Butt has scored 11 international centuries across formats and is seen by some as a viable option to infuse experience in the Test team after the retirements of both Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
