More problems in store for Butt

There seems to be no end to Salman Butt's woes with barrister Aitzaz Ahsan now confirming that his law firm is not representing the suspended Pakistan Test captain in the spot-fixing case.

Ahsan, one of the leading names in Pakistan's political and legal circles, said that he was never personally involved with Butt's case or acted as his representative."Shahid Saeed at Aitzaz and associates law firm was representing Salman Butt but now he is no longer associated with the case or the ICC hearing that will be held in January in Doha," Ahsan said.

Ahsan added that only Yasin Patel, a lawyer based in London, was acting on behalf of Butt in the spot-fixing case.

"Shahid Saeed had prepared the reply to the ICC and he wrote down all relevant issues but now he is not associated with this case," Ahsan said.

Two other prominent lawyers, Khalid Ranjha -- a former attorney general of Pakistan -- and Aftab Gul, have also made it clear that they were no longer representing Butt. The two had attended the appeals hearing in October in Dubai where the appeals of Butt and Mohammad Aamir against their suspensions were rejected by the ICC tribunal head, Michael Beloff.

Beloff on Wednesday rejected Butt's application for an adjournment of the full hearing into the spot-fixing charges against himself, Aamir and Mohammad Asif due to be held next month.

Sources close to Butt said that one of the main reasons senior lawyers have distanced themselves from Butt was due to his "non-serious" attitude.

"Aitzaz and associates, in fact, made it clear that they were not interested in defending the former captain as he himself had a non-serious attitude towards the case," a source said.

"So basically now it is just Yasin Patel who is representing Butt who apparently has accepted his fate at the full hearing," the source added.

Former Pakistan cricketers push for players association

The death of 38-year-old first-class cricketer Aamer Bashir, after a long-running battle against cancer, has led to a call from former Pakistan players Ramiz Raja, Rashid Latif and Abdul Qadir for the establishment of a players association in the country.

"I think the way, and the conditions in which Aamer Bashir passed away are sad and there are many other players facing similar financial problems," Ramiz told PTI. "The formation of the players association will mean they can work for the welfare of players from one common platform."

Leading cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Basit Ali worked hard to ensure Bashir received proper medical treatment, in addition to monetary assistance from the board. Ramiz asked for a more organised set-up to help such cricketers, and made it clear that forming a players association did not mean the players wanted to confront the board's authority.

"It should not be viewed that way [as a threat to the board]," he said. "If we have a proper association it can work for the welfare of players and also educate them on how to handle things and behave while playing for Pakistan."

"When you are fighting with a terminal illness having financial issues plays a big role in only worsening the disease," Latif, who had campaigned to raise funds for Bashir, said. Latif also noted that the board had opposed earlier efforts to set up a players body, a point that Qadir agreed with.

"Even if the board does not give us permission we can easily go to court and get permission because I think it is the right of cricketers to have a representative body in the country it is long overdue," Qadir said. "I just feel in Pakistan cricket, where there are so many disputes and controversies, a players association can play a very productive and positive role."

Pakistan's poor start followed by extra practice

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis admitted his team started its tour of New Zealand "badly" after they lost to Auckland by five wickets in a Twenty20 friendly yesterday.

Hard on the heels of their scandalous tour of England, Pakistan could muster only 91 in their first bat of the tour, a target Auckland gobbled up in 13.2 overs.

Younis put on a brave face when he fronted the press while his players filtered out of their dressing room on to Colin Maiden Park for extra practice.

"I'm not going to moan about it," he said. "We have done badly. The match had a county cricket feel to it [given the setting].

"We are keen to do well in the internationals [as opposed to warmup games]. But we need to improve."

That much is obvious before Pakistan play New Zealand in the first of three Twenty20 internationals at Eden Park on Boxing Day.

If Pakistan didn't run up the white flag, they came dangerously close to doing so.

One of the few bright lights was the form of veteran paceman Shoaib Akhtar, who looked sharp at the bowling crease.

The 35-year-old quick clean-bowled former Black Cap Lou Vincent, who said: "I faced him a few years ago and he was definitely quicker then but he is still fast and I think he was holding back a bit today too. He will be a handful for the Kiwi boys."

Even though Auckland made hard work of their run chase – Martin Guptill top-scored with an unbeaten 28 off 30 deliveries – and accepting the fact abbreviated cricket does create one-sided matches, this was an extremely tame performance by Pakistan.

Vincent predicted it would be a long tour for the visitors. "Pakistan will improve, but they will need to."