Life is mostly lived in the grey, and yet, some truths can only be classified as black or white. Human beings are complex and highly evolved organisms.
Their decision making is quite frequently nuanced, as a result of being influenced by certain externalities. And yet, some of their actions can be deemed right or wrong faster than you can pronounce the word corrupt.
When someone is cheating the system, perhaps there are unavoidable factors that need to be accounted for before passing judgement, in terms of what might have led them to that murky precipice.
However, when someone is orchestrating an illegal activity, they have made a conscious choice. Every bone in their body is lined with malice.
There can be times when humans are challenged to the point where selling their soul to the devil is the only option. There is no other path to calmer waters, and they are forced to take a personal hit with hopes of bringing about some greater good.
Salman Butt being at the helm of the infamous 2010 spot fixing scandal is at the opposite end of this crime spectrum. I mention the word crime here because it is different from sin.
They are malevolent cousins, but the former warrants punishment in this life, and is not something that should be permitted to be taken to the grave.
Butt was Pakistan’s Test captain, which is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any cricketer from a nation which takes its cricket incredibly seriously. The sport is deeply woven into the fabric of Pakistani identity.
Butt tore that fabric into tiny shreds and lit them on fire, before crying wolf for all but three years, after which he eventually owned up in an apology video that no one remembers.
It exists, apparently, but it is not nearly as synonymous with cricket fans as footage of a weeping Steve Smith or David Warner, in the aftermath of Sandpapergate.
Salman Butt apology video &8211; three years after the spot-fixing scandal Consider the contrast in those apologies for a moment.
Smith and Warner cheated the game, along with Australia’s entire contingent as per Usman Khawaja’s latest revelation, but they did not commit a crime. What they were adjudged guilty of at the time, did not have any grounds for jail time.
It still does not. Compare that to Butt who sold his nation for wads of cash and maintained innocence for roughly a thousand days. No crocodile tears for optics either.
Just pure entitled arrogance, after what was a perversion of Pakistan cricket’s brand, and will always be a bookable offence. Australia’s team can be labelled as cheats or sinners.
Butt’s actions were criminal, and yet his response was not even remotely similar to what any of the sandpaper scapegoats expressed.
He spoke of conspiracy against Pakistan cricket, flat out denying the stone cold image of his eyesight keenly fixated on Mohammad Amir’s front foot.
And his crimes are not equal to those of Amir and Asif either, who were following orders from their leader. The notion of second chances is a noble one.
Most people subscribe to it, which they absolutely should, because everyone makes mistakes in life. But for second chances to be granted, there needs to be some sense of remorse or guilt.
There is no air of either of those sentiments when it comes to Butt, at least on the outside. Atonement is a strong word, and for an enraged and heartbroken fan base, there has barely been any evidence of it.
The purpose of this write-up is not to vilify the tainted former captain. He served his time and should be allowed to live his life, taking every opportunity that comes his way.
The larger point to be made here is around the appalling precedent that is being set.
Someone who was once a convicted felon and dishonoured both his country and sport, is being rewarded ahead of candidates who are more experienced in the craft, and are free of any history of incarceration.
Test match commentary for an official broadcaster is an enormous deal. Most professionals in the industry work their backsides off for years on end to get one bite at that cherry.
Hiring Butt in that role is akin to punching all of those frontrunners in the gut, twice, before ripping out their insides. Watching him fumble a pitch report would have only added to their misery.
In the grand scheme of things, it is an appointment which dissuades young and aspiring Pakistani commentators to dream.
As one of those dreamers, I can confirm that I feel encouraged to look elsewhere, pinning my ambitions on potential overseas opportunities. There is something to be said here from a global perspective as well.
It is an awful look on Pakistan cricket when a disgraced individual is in a position of influence, getting to comment on the very format of the sport that they once brought shame to.
If anything, it is nothing short of a PR disaster-class which gives the world a glimpse into the moral bankruptcy at play. There are levels to rot, and this comes across as bottom of the pit rotten.
Butt has a sharp cricketing brain, which was evident from his playing days, and he is widely regarded by many as a sound analyst.
Unfortunately though, when you have been at the center of one of the biggest scandals to have ever rocked a tightly knit sport, you should never get the best gigs served to you on a platter.
There is no harm in trying to make amends by running an academy, or expressing views on media platforms, but becoming the voice of Pakistan cricket is out of question. For those who still feel the pain of 2010, that stance is non-negotiable.
No ifs, or Butts, period. If treason has been committed, reform must come with certain parameters and bounds. There are some privileges that you simply lose. Or Should lose, because consequences, accountability, and all that jazz.
Life is lived in the grey, but there is no shade grey enough that can whitelist Salman Butt in the eyes of everyone whom he betrayed.