Cricket Latest: ICC Chairman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719 bats for Pakistan
In an extremely positive development, the Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council, Haroon Lorgat, has come out all clean with the Pakistani cricket administration and reiterated his pledge
to support one of the games most passionate members.
The PCB and ICC have been at loggerheads recently ever since the spot and match fixing scandal came to the fore, yet the statement made by Lorgat will be extremely pleasing to fans of the game in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755.
"We all want to be mature and be above some of the issues that are going on," Lorgat said in a teleconference. "I've talked to Giles http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 and he remains chairman of Pakistan's task team and he is
still as interested as I am in terms of helping Pakistan in any way possible to ensure they enjoy their place in international cricket.”
Lorgat however was unhappy with the stance of Chairman PCB http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 and claimed that his allegations against some of the English players should have been levelled behind closed doors and made taking
the governing body of the game in confidence.
The outspoken Butt claimed that the third ODI between England and Pakistan was lost by the English team deliberately as there was “loud and clear talk in bookie circles that England's players had taken
enormous amounts of money.”
Lorgat added that the ICC has written to Butt and asked for proof regarding his allegations.
"We have followed up with a letter to Mr. Butt because it indicates he might have information or evidence that we are interested in and we are waiting a response," Lorgat said. "I would have been much
more satisfied had it been a direct approach to us or ACSU inspectors."
Lorgat, who hails from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757, lay to rest speculation that he was not seeing eye to eye with the current Chairman of the PCB. He indicated that his relationship with Butt was very good.
"I am able to separate and all of us should," he said. “The game is bigger than any individual and I would not want to hold Pakistan cricketers responsible for what you might consider a poor relationship
between two individuals and there is none. Whoever the person is in the board I am prepared to work with him.”
"I met with Mr. Butt a few weeks ago and I will continue to meet him, to inform him what I believe is right and what I think he should be doing. He will take responsibility for leading the PCB and for
his own actions, but I will continue to work with him."
Lorgat also dispelled the impression that the governing body of the game was thinking of suspending or banning Pakistan from international cricket for some time so that they could embark on a major
clean-up in their cricketing set-up.
"I think we have got to separate what a few individuals, if proved, might be guilty on and certainly if that is the case I don't believe the entire team or the indeed the entire nation should be held
responsible," he said.
He added that such an extreme action was not on the cards and added that despite the impressions created in the media, Pakistan’s immediate tours were not in jeopardy.
"There are other provisions within the ICC that allows suspension of members but that is certainly not something we are contemplating. In fact I've seen confirmation of South Africa continuing their
series later this year and I know http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 is also confirming their FTP commitment quite soon."
These statements by Lorgat are surely set to ease tensions between the PCB and the ICC. Hopefully they also open a door to negotiations and simultaneously knock some much needed sense in the people
who determine the fate of international cricket.
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