PCB appoint Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum as consultant members to chief selector

Former Pakistan cricketers Kamran Akmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Salman Butt were appointed as consultant members to chief selector Wahab Riaz by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday, December 01. The trio will take up their roles in the selection panel with immediate effect with their first assignment being Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand beginning from January 12 after the conclusion of the Test series against Australia.

Apart from the selection duties, they will also take up additional tasks such as conducting skill camps. Notably, both Akmal and Anjum have held selection positions before as well with Akmal being named chair of PCB's Junior Selection Committee earlier this year.

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The 41-year-old was also at the helm of an eight-member selection committee, which conducted Under-13, Under-16 and Under-19 trials for the selection of regional and district teams. On the other hand, Anjum was part of a three-man committee last year when Shahid Afridi was named interim chief selector of Pakistan alongside Abdul Razzaq.

Meanwhile, it will be the first time that the former captain Salman Butt will take up an official role with the PCB since serving his long five-year ban for his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal of 2010. Butt was the captain of Pakistan during the infamous Lord’s Test in 2010 where the entire spot-fixing saga unfolded and never played for his country again.

The new appointments likely to raise eyebrows

However, he did play first-class cricket and was also offered a commentator’s role by the PCB in 2020. The new appointments are likely to raise some eyebrows as both Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal were also questioned regarding the spot-fixing scandal. Akmal was sent a notice by the ICC after the T20 World Cup 2010 but was later cleared by the PCB for selection in the Pakistan team.

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He didn’t play a single Test after the controversial Lord’s Test in 2010 but continued to play in the limited-overs format. Riaz was also questioned by Scotland Yard in the aftermath of the scandal but was given a clean chit.