Cricket Scotland has led tributes to former Scotland seam bowler Asim Butt, who has died at

the age of 42.

The left-armer passed away in his sleep during a visit to his native Lahore.

He moved to Scotland in the 1990s, playing for Corstorphine, Stewarts-Melville/Royal High

and Heriot's before starring at the 1999 World Cup.

Butt took 106 wickets and earned the last of his 71 caps in May 2005. Cricket Scotland's

Mike Stanger said the game had lost "a very good bowler".

He began his career with Lahore City, enjoying spells at Lahore City Blues and Pakistan

Railways before moving to Edinburgh.

 Butt won his first Scottish international cap against Yorkshire at Boghall in May 1998,

taking 3-42.

His good form led to a place at the inaugural World Cup in England 1999, where he played in

all five of Scotland's matches.

In 2005, he was banned for a year from all competitions after testing positive for ecstasy.

Stanger told BBC Scotland that Butt had proved an excellent bowler for the national side.

"We lack fast bowlers of his kind in Scotland," he said. "Youngsters should study his

technique to see how he managed to cause all this mayhem.

"He will be remembered as the left-arm seam opening bowler for Scotland over a period of

five or six years, during which time the Scots were making their mark, rising up the ladder

of international cricket.

"Asim was a tremendous bowler of swing and caused problems for all the batsmen he bowled

against and took a lot of key wickets for Scotland."

Stanger recalled that Butt took four wickets during the 1999 World Cup.

"The key one, I'm sure he enjoyed most of all, was in the match against Pakistan at Chester

-le-Street, where he took one wicket," added Stanger.

"He took 106 wickets for Scotland and also scored 320 runs in his 71 matches, scoring 35

boundaries - 15 of which were 6s, most of which left the ground by a considerable distance."