Pakistan’s disgraced former Test captain Salman Butt says he’s a changed man now. But the 30-year-old is not looking for sympathy anymore, just a ‘chance to make things right.’
In an interview to London-based ITV News, Butt, who for the first time publicly admitted to and apologised for spot-fixing in 2013, two years after he was found guilty of the offence, once again sought forgiveness from cricket lovers in Pakistan and had a message for young cricketers.
“Whatever happened, that should not go on in the future generations and what we need to tell them is avoid shortcuts in life and if you get approached by people who provoke you in to getting into something that is not right,” he said.
Butt’s latest comments seem to be following International Cricket Council (ICC) protocol on rehabilitation of ‘corrupt’ players who must ‘admit guilt, take part in corrective education and inform the public of the perils of match-fixing.’
The left-handed opening batsman, who’s five-year ban ends on September 1, 2015, is still hopeful of turning up in Pakistan colours after pace prodigy Mohammad Amir, also convicted in the same affair, was shown leniency by the ICC.
Butt was sentenced to 30 months in prison, along with a 10-year ban (with five suspended) from playing any sort of cricket. Right-arm pacer Mohammad Asif was the third player involved in the scandal and was banned for seven years, with two suspended.
After spending all those years in suspension, Butt was in complete ownership of the mistakes he had committed. And he preferred not to put blame on others, just repent.
“Look, we can’t blame one individual for that. You just can’t say one person makes it all happen. Everyone who is involved is wrong somewhere. We are all humans — we all make mistakes,” Butt, who played 33 Test and 78 ODIs for Pakistan, said.
“The best part is you can repent, you come back, you realise your mistake and grow from there and you realise you don’t want others who are growing up to go through the pain you have gone through.”