KARACHI: Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt, who was banned over a high-profile spot-fixing scandal, has been appointed to a coaching role with Singapore’s national team for 2022 season, cricket officials said.
The left-handed batter will be assisted by local support staff with former Pakistan women’s team trainer Jamal Hussain, who will join the team as fielding coach and trainer.
The 37-year-old has been named consultant coach and will bring a “wealth of experience” to the side, the Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) said.
SCA chief executive Saad Khan Janjua said he hoped Butt’s abilities and experience would inspire the Singapore players ahead of the qualifiers. “Butt is an accomplished player with experience that can push the players to the next level,” Saad was cited as saying in The Straits Times newspaper.
Singapore, an affiliate country at ICC since 1974, will play three major tournaments in a bid to find a berth among the ICC marquee tournaments in the next five months. Singapore
The season will have three qualifiers during Butt’s scheduled tenure – ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in July, the Asia Cup qualifier in August and the ICC Men’s Challenge League A in Canada – a tournament meant for the ICC’s ODI World Cup qualification.
He was part of the Pakistan team from 2003 to 2010, when a spot-fixing scandal erupted on their tour of England. Butt, captain at the time, was charged with orchestrating deliberate no-balls from his pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif during a Lord’s Test in return for money.
All three players were all banned for five years and jailed by a UK court. Though they completed their bans in 2015, only Amir was able to regain his place in the Pakistan team.
Singapore are not a top international side but have enjoyed some recent success. They won the 2020 Asian Cricket Council Eastern region T20 tournament after defeating Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
