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Cape Town - Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has confirmed that he and the selectors will be keeping an eye on batsman Salman Butt's form during the Pakistan Cup, with a view to selecting him for the tour to England.
Butt has not played international cricket since 2010, when he was found guilty and imprisoned for match fixing. He was banned for five years, and has been back in action domestically for a few months.
Misbah told ESPNcricinfo: "We have a settled line up between Nos 3 and 7 but the opening slot is not as consistent as the rest of the order.
"There are issues and we are looking at a couple more options including Shan Masood and Salman Butt.
"Salman is playing well and overall I didn't see any such difference since he left [in 2010]. He is a good prospect and he has also scored ample runs after his comeback.
"Watching him in the nets he looks good, but now we have to see how well he will do in the upcoming tournament."
A tour to the UK might be a step too far though, given that's where he was arrested, and the UK laws state that a convicted criminal may not be granted a visa. As such, it's unlikely he'll be allowed to be part of the tour.
In fact, the relevant law stated that a criminal may not enter the UK for 10 years from the end of their prison sentence and: "The end of the sentence should be taken to mean the entire sentence imposed, not just the time a person spent in prison."
