ECB fuming over Butt’s remarks
The England Cricket Board is furious over the remarks of Ijaz Butt who in a recent display of anger lashed out at the English players for supposedly taking large amounts of money from the bookies to fix the Oval match. It is indeed a matter of grave concern
for the PCB that they have gravely offended the English Cricket Board, the chairman and the team who have shown great character and integrity during the ongoing series against Pakistan.
ECB Chairman Giles http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 is also the head of the task force for Pakistan, who is working hard for the revival of cricket in the country. Despite the competitive nature of the contests between the two sides in the ODI series, good old fashioned cricket on
the pitch has now been replaced by controversy off the field which has deeply bruised the relationship between England and Pakistan. Ijaz Butt has acted like a mentally challenged child ever since he has been appointed as the head of the PCB, and hence it
goes without saying that this fascist dictator of the PCB is running a one man show and his statements do not reflect the general feeling in the dressing room or amongst the players.
The England and Wales Cricket Board following the illogical statement of Ijaz Butt, which was completely uncalled for especially from the head of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board, has announced that it will take legal action against Ijaz Butt, describing his allegations
against the English players as “wholly irresponsible and completely without foundation”.
The ECB took its time to formulate a joint statement after consultation with the English team and announced that despite the statement of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128, the series would still go on ahead as planned. “It remains in the best interests of world cricket, the players
and in particular of cricket supporters that the tour should continue and it would set a dangerous precedent to call off a tour based on the misguided and inaccurate remarks made by one individual.”
Butt’s allegations took the media by storm once again and the triumphant team was left to taste the bitterness of the aftermath of the statement which has greatly harmed the relations between the two boards. The English players, with an admission by Andrew
Strauss, were extremely reluctant to complete the series in the face of such allegations. The rawness of the emotions boiling in the English camp were only evident with a scuffle before the start of the Lords ODI, between Jonathan Trott and Wahab Riaz. It
was followed by much conjecture and speculation that the toss would be delayed as a result but the game did however start as scheduled.
The ECB reiterated its faith in the English players and in their integrity, character and determination that they have shown during the series. It expressed gratitude over the “outstanding conduct” of the players since the accusations of spot-fixing allegations
first emerged against the Pakistan team during the course of the final Test at Lords’ and added that it would be taking “all legal and disciplinary action which may result from Ijaz Butt’s comments”.
The ECB expressed its disappointment at the way Ijaz Butt had made those statements, and if he did have proper proof against the English players, then he should have followed the proper channels and given all the details to the ACSU for investigation. However,
in light of the statement made by Ijaz Butt, the English team and the England Cricket Board viewed the comments made by the Chairman PCB as defamatory and not based on fact.
"I welcome the decision by England to play the last two games of this tour. It is a pragmatic decision that is in the best interests of world cricket," Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and Olympics said.
It is important for the Pakistan’s standing committee on sports to take all possible measures to ensure that the relationship between the two boards could somehow be brought back on the right track, since nothing is expected from Ijaz Butt.
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