Salman Butt
Salman Butt (born 7 October 1984) is a former Pakistani international cricketer who represented his country as a left-handed opening batsman across Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) formats from 2003 to 2010.[1] He occasionally bowled right-arm offbreaks and was noted for his elegant strokeplay, drawing comparisons to Saeed Anwar due to his supple wrists and timing.[2] Butt captained Pakistan in five Test matches during 2010, succeeding Shahid Afridi after the latter's retirement from the format.[3][4] Butt's notable achievements include becoming the youngest player to score an ODI century, achieving 108 not out against Bangladesh at 20 years and 37 days old in 2005.[5] He also formed a record-breaking unbroken opening partnership of 209 runs with Kamran Akmal in a T20I against England in 2006, the highest at the time for that format.[6] His international career amassed 33 Tests, 78 ODIs, and 24 T20Is, with career highlights in white-ball cricket where his aggressive opening suited the demands.[1] However, Butt's career was overshadowed by his central role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal during the Lord's Test against England, where he conspired with bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif to arrange deliberate no-balls in exchange for payment from a bookmaker, as exposed by undercover reporting.[7] An ICC tribunal found him guilty, imposing a 10-year ban from all cricket, while a UK court convicted and sentenced him to 30 months imprisonment in 2011 for conspiracy to obtain corrupt payments.[8][9] The scandal, involving empirical evidence from sting operations and player admissions, highlighted systemic vulnerabilities in Pakistan cricket to corruption, leading to Butt's permanent exclusion from international play despite later domestic clearances.[7][8]