Karachi, Jan 2 : The convictions of three Pakistan cricketers- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir in a spot-fixing case by a United Kingdom court had tainted the image of the country’s cricket in
2011, an editorial in a Pakistan daily has said.

As 2011 drew to a close, an editorial in the Daily Times attempted to look at Pakistan’s cricket in retrospect.

The editorial pointed out that Pakistan was unable to tackle the spot-fixing scandal on its own, which led the International Cricket Council to intervene in the issue.

Butt, Asif and Amir were subsequently jailed by London''s Southwark Crown Court for their involvement in a spot-fixing scam during the 2010 Lord''s Test against England.

The editorial also slammed the decision of Pakistan Cricket Board to appoint Mohsin Khan as interim coach after Waqar Younis stepped down in September, but lauded President Asif Ali Zardari’s decision to remove Ijaz Butt as PCB chief, whose three- year stint was marred with miseries, the paper reported.

The editorial said that Pakistan’s victory in series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh indicated that the team had rebounded after being embroiled in a series of controversies.

The article highlighted Taufiq Umar’s score of 236 off 496 balls, which saw him become the first Pakistan opener to reach 200 since 1992, as a significant achievement for Pakistani cricket.

The editorial also noted that Aleem Dar won the ICC Umpire of the Year award for a third time in a row, which brought a smile on the faces of Pakistani cricket fans. (ANI)