02 November,2011 08:33 AM IST | | Sanjib Guha
Barely a couple of hours after Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty of spot-fixing by a jury at the Southwark Crown Court in London, former Pakistan captain -- Birmingham-based Mushtaq Mohammad -- lashed out at the duo saying he was hurt and pained being a Pakistani residing in England.
Mushtaq Mohammad
Mushtaq was in no mood to show any leniency to the tainted cricketers. "I am pained and feel sorry for Pakistan cricket and the country as a whole for the shameful acts of these irresponsible cricketers. For me, this should be the end of their careers and they should never be picked to represent the nation in any form of the game," he told MiD DAY from his residence.
Mushtaq said players like him, who stay away from country, get a bad name due to such happenings in Pakistan cricket. "When we walk down the street here, people look down at us as we are from Pakistan. That hurts me a lot," he quipped.
Mushtaq minced no words as he demanded severe punishment for the duo. "Since they have been found guilty by the court, they will get the punishment they deserve. This punishment should serve as an example for the rest of the world. Any player trying to follow in their footsteps in future should think twice before doing so," the former Pakistan skipper said.
Mushtaq however, was not sure when it came to suggesting means to stop such malpractices in the game in future. "I don't really know what, but something has to be done to set the house in order. They had no right to bring shame to the nation like this," he added.
"In cricket, the scenario has changed. Players are earning money left, right and centre --from match fees, from royalties, etc and despite that, they chose the wrong way to get richer. Shame on them," he slammed.
Mushtaq was, in fact, so infuriated that he even went on to deem both Butt and Asif as bad human beings.
"First of all, they are bad human beings, the rest comes later and I don't feel sorry for them at all. The way they have tarnished the image of the country and the game is beyond repair," he said.
