Salman Butt's interview with Sky Sports

Pakistani cricket player Salman Butt, who is one of the players said to be involved in a spot-fixing controversy recently had an interview with Sky Sports. Thanks to PakPassion I was able to find the questions asked in the interview. Here they are:

SS man introducing:.....Salman would like to say a lot more on Amir, Asif but declined an earlier interview request, has now invited us at his front house garden for an afternoon tea, he stressed he didn't want to compromise his case with ICC as his hearing's next month........
Salman: I'd like to say obviously I havent done anything such as this all my life and all my cricketing career but apart from this we as players have a code to follow from ICC which restricts us to talk about this event before the hearing takes place and I have to abide by it so i am so sorry but I cant talk about the case at the moment...
SS: How have the last few months been like for you personally?
Salman: Well I wish I would have been playing for my country with my team as we were building a very good unit, we won 2 test matches after 15 years we beat Australia after 9 years we beat England so it was a huge moment for us, 4 guys were making their debuts, team was very young so would have been wonderful to carry on like that but you know good times bad times are all part of life so hopefully this will pass us as well
SS: Your Lawyer has said there was a substantial sum of money found in your hotel room, at the centre of allegations can you understand why people think that doesn't look right salman, it looks like you are corrupt...
Salman: I think everyone knows PCB pays us daily allowances on tours and it was a long tour so about 11000£ of that money was from my daily allowances and being a captain I had extra entertainment allowance which amounts about 4500 on tour which I had with me and the rest of the money was advance payment for my bat stickers which I was under contract with Capital cricket which shows on back of the bat, watch from 1st of June any matches that I have played that sticker would be there and its a written contract so I mean I have the description for all my possessions that I had with me but what media shows is what people think and because I havent ever spoken about what I had or what I have done except from my interviews so people can say, they can have an opinion, but I know what and where the money came from..


SS: categorically tell us that 29000£'s in cash in your hotel room during the 4th test is clean? not a penny is corrupt?
Salman: off course its clean, 2500£ was given to me for the opening of an ice cream parlour which is in tooting and you guys are from England you can go there any-time to check I believe the parlour's name is ''Afters'', and you can ask the manager or the people working over there they will tell you that I had to do the opening of the ice cream parlour along with Mohammad Amir and that's what we were paid for, I believe that's the only money which has serial numbers from the money shown on TV..
SS: did you ever tell Mohammed Amir to bowl a no ball, did u ever use your influence, your pressure as a captain?
Salman: Well I wont say much because everything in this relates to the case but one thing I would like to say is that people like Mohammed Amir are very few, maybe only 2 or 3 as good as him at the moment who are playing cricket and people like him don't come under any influence and I became captain as a result of an accident that the previous captain suddenly decided that he couldn't play test cricket anymore, so to have this kind of an influence inside 3/4 games is what any captain would love 2 have but I still say that people of the ability of Mohammed Asif and Amir is just like having Wasim and Waqar, Ambrose and Walsh or maybe Thomson and Lille so these kind of people don't let others decide their roles, all the teams know, the opponents know who's gonna open the bowling, just they have to decide their Ends which they always do so there's nothing more I'd like to say.....
SS: Why do you think your name's been brought up in all this, why is your name Mazhar Majeed is saying in all this?
Salman: Well he's talking about few more players and its because he was our agent and he did all the marketing and stuff like that arranging bat stickers, appearances, this marketing and sports agent stuff isn't much common in Pakistan so that's why we had an overseas agent and he was doin the job for 7/8 people so thats how we know him....evrything's in written contracts so there's nothing verbal everything's signed on written papers and its been like that from quite a few months...
SS: what do you think about your team mates? are they corrupt?
Salman: No, I dont believe it, i think it was such a good career for Mohammed Amir, as a young fast bowler he already has 7 world records in his 1st playing career and without any doubt if this thing hadn't happened he would have won the emerging player of the year in ICC awards, so I wish him all the luck and I wish all 3 of us can get back to playing for our country again, which is our passion as we love cricket..
SS: what would you say to those people who say the evidence is damning? we have an agent saying on camera that no balls will be delivered...and exactly what he predicted happened?
Salman: I will say it again this relates to the case and I will again remind you about the court, I am sorry, I wish I had a chance, I have a chance but hearing's still to come so I have to abide by the court and hopefully once things settle down then I'll be more freely to discuss what ever I have in mind right now...


SS: do you think corruption's a problem in Pakistan Cricket?
Salman: well you know corruption anywhere and in any department isn't good, its not good for any country, any department, any kind of people, so if its there then it should be erased, it exists all over the world everywhere not just in sports in every department there are people who are trying to dodge others and what we as people can do is try not to indulge in it, and if we can stop ourselves then I think it wont be there anymore..
SS: What's the feeling in your mind right now before the hearing? do you worry that you have played yourr last international game?
Salman: I certainly wouldn't like to think like that, I'd remain positive, I know where I have come from how I have played cricket and believe me there has been a lot of passion all throughout my life and nobody in my family has been into sports so to come-out of a place where no sportsman exists I know how hard I have worked to get here, the love of the game has brought me here and that love is bigger than anything, any corrupt thing that exists, so hopefully InshAllah I'll b back
SS: you have never been involved in corruption?
Salman: As I have told before I am innocent, I don't want to keep repeating myself....
SS: we have seen the passion of the game in last couple of days here in Lahore, what massage do you have for Pakistan supporters who are worried, who are doubting you, doubting Mohammed Amir, Mohhamed Asif?
Salman: Firstly I would say is that there's very low percentage of people who doubt us and there's very high percentage of people who believe us, we move about, we go to the gyms, we go to the grounds, we have been on different occasions in schools and such places, its amazing how people love us there, they follow us they pray for us....I would like to thank all of them for their never ending love and support that they have given us and InshAllah when we come out of this we would love to get back in the ground and win them games, which they can be happy about and they can love us even more..............