http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 apologizes over erratic remarks, ECB accepts apology
The chairman of the Pakistan cricket board has been making the headlines time and again and mostly for all the wrong reasons. Pakistan cricket plunged into an era of darkness when the same chairman had promised to provide presidential level security to the
Sri Lankan team and based on the good relations between the two countries the Sri Lankan cricket board had accepted to tour Pakistan.
However upon their arrival, Mr. Butt and the security agencies fell desperately short of providing adequate security that resulted in the figurative demise of cricket in Pakistan.
In the wake of the catastrophe that hit Pakistan cricket, instead of taking damage control measures the chairman and his one man rule over the PCB kept making impulsive decisions that has resulted in the debilitated state of cricket in the country we now
see today.
Ijaz Butt and his whimsical decisions has cost the country and cricket dearly. History is replete with examples of cricket facing a number of crises for different countries. However, the way they have been managed is quite another story and Ijaz Butt needs
to learn something from them.
The most recent example might be of the Zimbabwean Cricket Board, who have suggested the forfeiture of a game against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045. However, the Scottish government has refused to allow their team to visit the country.
The Zimbabwean Cricket Board as a result have shown great character by proposing the forfeiture of the game, which if it happens will result in Scotland going through to the final of the Intercontinental cup against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745.
Comparing such display of character with the Pakistan Cricket Board is quite a futile effort, since Ijaz Butt in the wake of match fixing allegations instead of going for damage control quite effectively doused the situation with fuel and set it alight.
He alleged the England players of taking enormous amounts of money to throw a game at The Oval, following the announcement by the ICC to investigate the alleged slow playing by the Pakistan team.
Instead of defending the integrity of his own team and how they worked exceptionally hard to win the match he cast doubts over Pakistan efforts by overshadowing their performance and claimed that the England players had taken money to lose.
Of course, that was not the only line of argument. His remarks have angered the English Cricket Board. Now being a sports writer I do not hold any bias against a particular cricket board and hence I will not be favouring the English Cricket Board needlessly.
However, it is imperative to note that the ECB has shown a lot of character during the entire spot fixing imbroglio and refused to call off the series despite calls from certain quarters to do just that. The ECB did have its own vested interests in holding
the series for they would have lost an enormous amount of revenue had the series been called off. However, bending over backwards we might even write that particular favour off.
The fact of the matter still remains, that despite the spot fixing claims, Giles http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120, who heads the Task force for Pakistan reiterated his commitment to the revival of cricket in the country. Despite the allegations he admitted that the relations between
the two boards have not been affected.
Not to mention that the ECB had provided its own facilities to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in the summer as a neutral venue for Pakistan, which in itself was a great favour.
The ECB also went out of its way to accommodate Pakistan for a series against England in England. No matter what the extent of allegations have been, ECB had supported PCB and it made sense that the PCB should do the same.
However, such thoughts eluded the chairman of the PCB, who made an erratic, irrational and impulsive statement against the ECB and England’s cricket team.
Therefore, an apology from the Chairman of the PCB is a welcome move. The contents of the statement can be read in the following part of the article.
(to be continued…)
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