I don't mind playing cricket with Salman Butt, says Asif

Published October 8, 2015
Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif will team up once again. -File photo
Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif will team up once again. -File photo

The tainted duo of Mohammed Asif and Salman Butt will be sharing the dressing room once again after signing with Wapda for domestic competitions.

Former Pakistan captain Butt, and fast bowler Asif confirmed with Dawn that they were approached by Wapda and several other teams but signed on with the department after negotiating a favourable deal.

"I have signed with WAPDA after they made a good offer to me." said Butt.

"I need to play cricket now." the 31-year-old opener added.

Asif, too, said he was looking forward to getting on the field and did not mind sharing a dressing room with Butt.

"I have moved on now and I do not mind playing cricket with Salman," said the 32-year-old pacer.

"My concentration is completely on cricket now. I feel fully fit too."

In February 2011 an anti-corruption tribunal of the International Cricket Council (ICC) imposed a ban of five years on Amir, seven years on Asif — of which the final two years were conditionally suspended — and 10 years on Butt — of which the final five years were conditionally suspended.

They were charged with violating the ICC code of conduct by receiving money in return for arranging deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England in 2010. Amir had entered guilty pleas on the same charges.

The ICC allowed 23-year-old Amir to play cricket few months before his five-year ban while Butt and Asif were permitted to continue from September 2015.

The Pakistan Cricket Board though ordered the latter two to go through a rehabilitation program, delaying their return.

But both the players said they were now itching for a return.

A source in the PCB told Dawn that both Asif and Butt were barred to play cricket until the end of the year and it was very unlikely that the duo could make a return to any form of cricket before that time period.

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