So, Salman Butt is back with a bang. Mohammad Asif, too, showed signs of the magic that he once worked on the cricket pitch.
I have a feeling, somewhere in Lahore, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Shaharyar Khan, must have shifted in his chair when he discovered that the two players starred in Wapda's win over Fata in the National ODI Cup on Sunday.
In pictures: Butt, Asif return to the cricket field after five years
Let's ignore the fact that the performances of the spot-fixing duo (duo because the third 'tainted' player, Mohammad Amir, is for some illogical reason, a different case in the minds of everyone) came against Fata for a minute.
Let's imagine, for a minute, what the future holds for Pakistan cricket.
Butt, 31, and Asif, 33, last played competitive cricket in 2010. They may have sneaked in an over or two here or there, but they found no friends in the cricket fraternity who were willing to offer them a game. There was a blanket ban on them, meaning no international or domestic cricket of any form.
The two players may have found a net somewhere in the country where enthusiastic young cricketers, offered a chance to bowl at or pad up against international cricketers, would have duly obliged. Maybe family members doubled as a cricket team for Butt and Asif, who knows.
The fact is, their comeback is perhaps as notable as Amir's return to competitive cricket. Even more so, considering Amir got a head start.
Also read: Are we wrong about Mohammad Amir?
The 23-year-old left-arm fast bowler is now back in the national team on the back of performances in the domestic circuit and the Bangladesh Premier League.
The tide had shifted for Amir when he began to hit the deck and pick up wickets. Consequently, even the toughest opposition against the player melted away.
Former captain Ramiz Raja, who said he would have kept Amir away at all costs, also weakened and now believes anyone who performs, deserves a chance in the national team.
It does not come as a shock that fans are now lapping Butt and Asif's offerings as well. Just read the comments on the Wapda vs Fata match report published in Dawn.
"After serving the term, everyone deserves a second chance," reads one comment, while another terms Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali's opposition to the banned trio as a sign of their insecurity.
There are a couple of "God knows better, but he (could be Butt or Asif) still look dubious. I do not believe him," ones too, but there's a heavy tilt in favour of Butt which says a lot about our cricket fans and perhaps, our countrymen in general.
If you're good, it doesn't matter if you're a crook, is what this sudden shift says.
So, what does it all mean for Pakistan cricket and the board?
It means if Butt and Asif put in several more match-winning performances, there will be a loud chorus demanding the return of these players. And that's when things will really get interesting.
Some principles and values have already been sacrificed in fast tracking the "extraordinary" Amir back into the team.
Will the PCB do the same with Butt and Asif?
"I am very relaxed; the toughest phase of my life is over. Throughout the five years span, I remained focused on cricket and that's why I am not finding any difficulty in bowling," Asif told Cricinfo after the match.
With Pakistan's fast bowling stocks not exactly shining at the moment, what will coach Waqar Younis say when Asif picks up a five-for?
How will chief selector Haroon Rasheed describe Butt if he scores a few more hundreds?
What will Shaharyar Khan do if Pakistan struggles to find an opener and a bowling partner for Wahab and Amir before the Test series in England in the summer?
The next couple of months are going to be defining times for Pakistan cricket; they will also reveal the nation's psyche.
