THERE are clearly divergent views among the Pakistani fans, the media people and past players on what to do with the three players who were banned for spot-fixing and have now all become available to play for Pakistan again. And PCB is pushed in the role of arbitrator, both of opinions and of evidence to support each case.

It has made itself vulnerable to criticism by becoming committed to rehabilitating Mohammad Amir by fighting his case since last year and playing a dominant role in abbreviating his time in the wilderness. Now it must be seen to be doing the same for Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif. But does it want to?

Clearly there is not so much affinity in them with the duo’s cause for rehabilitation in domestic and international cricket as there has been for Amir, but there is not much they can do to curtail it in the domestic level at least. Reasons are many but chief among them is that these were senior players — Salman in fact the captain — and both cut a swathe into Pakistan cricket’s credibility. They then showed no remorse, in fact questioned the loyalty of PCB toward them, in the first few years.

Furthermore, both are approaching their mid thirties and are not long term fruit; so should the PCB go out on a limb for them?

And then there is the question as to whether Pakistan cricket really needs them with openers having settled into Salman’s place in all formats and Asif, being 33 and five years away from active bowling, unlikely to be the force he was in 2010.

Though for Salman it was the first — though highly volatile — foray into controversy, Asif has tested PCB’s patience — and loyalty — by first being tested positive for drugs in 2006 and then being caught with something similar at Dubai airport. Unless the decision has been reversed, the UAE authorities have forbid his entry into the emirates which means he cannot play any cricket that Pakistan plays there anyway. Likewise he and Salman (I’m not sure about Amir) are unlikely to get visas for Pakistan’s tour there next summer.

Which brings me to PCB’s recently announced plan for their reincarnation which takes them the whole of the next six months and, cleverly I should say, keeps them away from playing any first class cricket this season.

There is logic in the concept, as PCB would like them to ease into the scene again. But six month is a long time to prove their remorse in front of the PCB, their fellow players and the fans. How many times and in how many ways can they say sorry and how long does it take to say sorry. Sounds like one of those Polish Jokes questions from the 70’s.

Additionally, a point to be added is that PCB is a regulatory body and not a selectorial one even if in the case of KCCA it has selected the Karachi team; but that is out of necessity. If PCB wants to come out as it projects itself, that of having no influence in national selection, let along dictating who plays in departmental or regional teams, then it shouldn’t be telling the department and regional selectors who they should not be selecting. There is no recent disciplinary charge on them, if anything they have been publicly apologetic. So the PCB technically has no moral right to set a deadline for their selection at domestic level after ICC has granted them the right to play first class cricket, even international cricket.

Whether Salman or Asif are physically and mentally fit to play first class cricket should be left to those personnel of the departments and regions who are responsible for giving a clearance certificate.

Then it is up to the selection committee and coaches of these teams whether they play Salman and Asif straightaway in the Twenty20 tournament and the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy. After that their form and team strategy will decide how many matches they play. It is not for PCB officials to judge when they are ready to play first class cricket. It is up to the regions and departments.

I totally agree with PCB’s desire for them to speak at academies and to the junior teams but they can do that while they are playing first class cricket.

If PCB wants them to ease back into their colleagues good books it will either happen in a couple of meetings or never. Either someone like Afridi will accept them or he won’t. He and several more in the team are not given to six month deliberations over what is right or wrong, what is unforgivable and what is eventually all right.

Amir has been playing for six months now at various levels and there is still animosity against him. So what has the PCB used as a barometer to clear him to play first class cricket this season?

When Marlon Samuels was banned for two years for dealing with bookies he went straight away to play for Jamaica once the period ended in 2010. The West Indian Cricket Board did not interfere and left it to the Jamaicans to see if he had form and fitness to get into their side.

As such I think there is a plan behind the plan to keep Salman and Asif occupied away from top class domestic cricket for six months. PCB has perhaps realised that were they to immediately run into form and score runs and take wickets, it would be hard to keep them away from the international team. They know that in Pakistan, public opinion has feet of clay.

And were these two to play a match winning performance or two that would storm the media that would be on the lookout as always for sensational stuff, even some influential people would start making calls to PCB if see the two winning people’s hearts back. We saw that with Shoaib Akhtar didn’t we?

Certainly Asif would be difficult to turn down considering how Junaid, Wahab, Gul, Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil and Rahat have been unable to find form or fitness and Amir may not strike it rich immediately. What if Pakistan start losing, especially before the World Twenty20 and Salman and Asif reap in runs and wickets at the domestic level?

In normal circumstances this would be a blessing for Pakistan but come March 2016 there is World Twenty20 and it is in India, the last place Pakistan would like Salman and Asif to be considering how the Indian media is going to go after them; with Amir there is the sympathy vote going because of his age when he got trapped but with Salman and Asif the Indian media will have a field day considering their status and age and their late, apparently forced, acceptance of their crime.

And if Pakistan lose, there could be a grumble that is leaked that presence of Asif and Salman made the rest of the players not give their best. Ball will come back to PCB’s court.

Then there is PSL earlier to that. By the same token it will be difficult to keep them away from playing in one of the five teams if they are in super form. PCB would not like them to be part of it firstly because it will taint the league and such events these days are already seen as a bookmaker’s dream. Secondly, it might make some foreign players to stay away, especially reputable ones who wouldn’t want to be seen playing alongside them.

Sounds like a plan doesn’t it? I would have thought that with public opinion at the moment against them, the PCB should have gone to Salman and Asif and said candidly that there is no future for them.

‘Yes we’ll take Amir because he showed remorse and accepted from day one his mistake but you guys tested the patience of the PCB and misled a nation. So we don’t think you’re the right people to have in a national team that is going through transformation.’

Andrew Strauss did that to Kevin Pietersen earlier this summer just after he’d hit a triple century in a county game. And Salman and Asif have done much worse to damage team spirit.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2015

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