Fans upset as PCB wishes Salman Butt happy birthday but not Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) official X (formerly Twitter) account send Salman Butt a happy birthday while failing to wish happy birthday to legendry Imran Khan.
Fans took to social media to express their disappointment, with one user commenting, “So PCB is wishing a happy birthday to a fixer [Salman Butt], but not to the only captain who won them their only ODI WC [Imran Khan] 🤡💩.” Another user tweeted, “Nice of you to honor spot fixers. Sums up your cricket nicely.”
135 appearances for Pakistan
5,209 runs including 11 centuries in international cricketHappy birthday @im_SalmanButt pic.twitter.com/tNsvb9gsgH
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 7, 2024
Salman Butt, who was involved in a notorious spot-fixing scandal during the 2010 Pakistan-England Test series, received birthday wishes from the PCB, sparking outrage among fans.
The scandal, which involved Butt, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Asif, was exposed by a News of the World sting operation, leading to Butt’s ten-year ban from cricket.
Although he returned to domestic cricket, Butt never rejoined the national team and has recently been involved in commentary for the PCB’s Champions One-Day Cup.
On the other hand, Imran Khan, widely recognized as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history, was overlooked by the PCB on his birthday, which occurred just days earlier.
Imran Khan’s omission from the PCB’s birthday acknowledgments has been perceived by many as politically motivated, given the current government regime of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PCB’s government-appointed chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the Interior Minister.
