Cricket: Ex-skipper Salmond pays tribute to star Butt

Published on Tuesday 1 December 2009 08:50

WORLD Cup cricket captain George Salmond today led tributes to former Scotland colleague Asim Butt who has died aged 42.

The funeral of all-rounder Butt was due to take place in Lahore, Pakistan, today after the ex-Corstorphine, Stewart's Melville and Heriot's star was found dead in his sleep while on a holiday to the country he left for Scotland in the early 1990s qualifying to represent Saltires on residency.

Salmond said: "It is devastating news. Asim was not only a first class cricketer who took our first wicket in World Cup finals but a man with a fantastic sense of humour and a big heart."

Salmond said that his ex- colleague was extremely self effacing. "Asim was always up for a laugh and revelled in banter such as the nickname we gave him of 'kickma...

"On the pitch he always gave as good as he got no matter the quality of opposition and we played the best at the 1999 World Cup.

"Asim got us on our way against Australia in '99 by dismissing wicket-keeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist while in the matches against West Indies and Pakistan he also excelled. There was a defiant six from him against the West Indies and he was at the heart of a bowling attack which reduced the classy Pakistan top order to 92-5 before they overpowered us in the same tournament.

"On the domestic front I remember receiving a vicious in-swinging delivery from Asim when I was playing for Grange and he was at Stewart's Melville for a Scottish Cup Final.

"He beat me all ends up and while the ball somehow missed the stumps I raised my head to see Asim grinning through his fingers like a Cheshire cat."

In 2005 Asim Butt tested positive for ecstasy after failing a drugs test following a Scotland v Somerset match. Salmond said: "That was such a shame and one of the things that will be synonymous with Asim, it's inevitable." Butt protested his innocence claiming a cigarette had been spiked.

Salmond added: "It was extremely unfortunate whether true or false.

"I was out of the cricket scene by then and remember him as a man who would bowl until he couldn't stand up because he was so willing and committed.

"Mind you, he was a terrible room-mate because his job as a shop-keeper would see him accustomed to getting up at 4.30am to organise the morning newspapers!"