Butt to be butted out?
For the umpteenth time in the last two years, the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt is under pressure to quit his job. As most cricket fans in Pakistan want, it seems that finally, the axe is going to fall on the beleaguered head of Pakistan cricket
after a series of controversies and mismanagement that have jeopardised the future of cricket in the country.
In the last few months, cricket pundits, decision makers and members of the parliament besides certain section of the media have combined to send the former test cricketer packing.
In Pakistan, the head of the cricket board is appointed by the President of the country who holds the position of the Patron-in-Chief of the body. Moreover, it seems that even Asif Ali Zardari is contemplating a move after the bad press that Ijaz has received
following the spot-fixing scandal.
The scandal that threatened the roots of the game in the country developed into a major catastrophe for Butt and his administrators and the veteran administrator made life tougher for himself by pointing fingers at English cricketers after the Oval ODI in
Pakistan’s recent tour of the UK.
Butt had claimed in interviews on various television networks around the world that he had information from certain bookies based in Dubai that the English players and august bodies of the game were involved in match-fixing and had contrived in the host
nation’s spectacular capitulation from a seemingly winning position in that match.
Butt’s response sent shockwaves around the cricketing world after the International Cricket Council had announced that a full inquiry was being carried out on the Oval ODI after a British tabloid had reported that the match was spot-fixed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755.
Later, Butt took another U-turn and apologised to the English Cricket Board and players, and admitted that his earlier statements were a mistake especially since he had no proof of the involvement of English players.
He added that he regretted hurting the credibility of the English game, when he had in fact inflicted great damage on the credibility of Pakistan cricket.
Cricketing pundits and experts were simply outraged with his statement and the rebuttal and have since then reinforced their campaign of getting him sacked from the position.
Every time http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 has been asked to leave, he has stubbornly retorted, claiming that he had done nothing wrong!
Meanwhile it is not yet clear as to who is to take over the reins of the Board once Ijaz Butt is ousted.
As expected, many contenders have emerged to the fore, most of them with a strong political clout which is seen by many as the pre-requisite for attaining power in national cricket.
The leading men running for the jobs include former sport minister Pir Aftab Jilani, former President ICC Ehsan Mani, and former test captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zaheer-Abbas-c98435.
The likeliest is Pir Aftab Jilani with Zaheer Abbas a close second; however the logical choice should be http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ehsan-Mani-c55791.
Mani who presided over the ICC for two years is one has the best credentials and has understandably a solid relationship with the governing body of the game.
At present, Pakistan desperately needs a leader who can improve the image of cricket in the country besides improving the bruised and battered relationship with the rest of the boards.
Countries like England, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 are not on an even keel with the PCB while the rest are likely to follow what the big three ordain.
In such a scenario, only an experienced and qualified administrator like Mani is what Pakistan cricket needs. Yet, with the politics involved in the selection of the PCB Chairman, logic is the last thing to be considered.
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