Former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the appointment of Salman Butt as a consultant member of the chief selector’s team for the New Zealand series.
Ramiz Raja criticized Butt’s appointment as "insane" and also raised concerns about the inclusion of Kamran Akmal on the panel, with Rao Iftikhar Anjum being the third member.
The PCB officially announced on December 1 that all three members of the selection panel had accepted their positions immediately.
Ramiz Raja was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying, "It’s insane to have a selection committee consisting of a member whose decision can be termed as a display of filial affection or non-affection and another who was locked up for match-fixing."
The former PCB administrator has been vocal in his criticism of tainted Pakistan cricketers, many of whom faced charges related to match-fixing, spot-fixing, or collusion with bookmakers.
Raja had previously criticized the PCB's decision to reinstate Mohammad Amir into the national team after serving a five-year ban.
However, the PCB later clarified that the three consultants, including Butt, will not play a direct role in the selection process.
According to the PCB statement, consultant members assist the chief selector by providing recommendations, collecting feedback, and identifying top-performing talent in domestic cricket.
They do not have independent decision-making powers and present information to the chief selector and the selection committee for consideration.
Salman Butt, who played 33 Test matches, 78 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 33 Twenty20 Internationals for Pakistan, scoring 5209 runs in his career, faced a ban due to his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal.
Despite playing domestic cricket after serving the ban, PCB never called him up to represent Pakistan again.
