Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ruled out the rumours of early return to international cricket for Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif as their ban end on September 2, as the board has other plans in order to reintegrate them back into cricket.
PCB is all set to plan a rehabilitation programme for Butt and Asif in order to reintegrate them back into international cricket.
As part of the programme, it will be mandatory for the two players to be a part of an anti-corruption educational venture, have sessions with a psychologist, and participate in grade cricket for a start, according to ESPNcricinfo.
PCB accepted International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to lift the ban on the players by September 2, however it doesn’t allowed Asif and Butt in the domestic T20 cup scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi next month.
Instead, they will have to work their way from the bottom and demonstrate their form and fitness before making it to the higher levels of the game.
“ICC requires us to put these boys under a programme in which they address the players and lecture them on anti-corruption,” said the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan.
However, PCB allowed both of them to take part in club cricket and grade 2 cricket, the same policy they adopted with Amir, he added.
Butt, who turns 31 in October, and Asif, who will celebrate his 33 birthday in December, were geared up to join Lahore Blue’s in the upcoming national T20 cup.
“We will tell the region too they cannot play until they prove their ability at the low level,” said Shaharyar.
