Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt backs down and apologises to the ECB and English players
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, who was initially very adamant about sticking to his word and not apologizing to the English Cricket Board, has finally succumbed to the pressure and apologized.
In reaction to the spot fixing allegations imposed on Pakistan by two British tabloid newspapers – The News of the Word and The Sun - the PCB chairman said that the Pakistan Cricket Board will conduct its separate
investigation on the people, parties and the governing bodies that are responsible for such sinister conspiracies and are trying to put Pakistan cricket in jeopardy. He was skeptical of the intent of these British tabloid papers saying, "This is not a conspiracy
to defraud bookies but a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket."
But the remarks that really created sparks in the cricket world were Butt’s own words, and not that of any tabloid. After the third ODI at the Oval, Butt claimed that he had knowledge and evidence of bookies informing him that
the English team had taken enormous amounts of money in order to deliberately lose the ODI.
When asked if he had substantial evidence to support such a statement, he responded by saying, "Did you ask the other people who made allegations against our players whether they had any proof? What did they say? We have thought
about this properly and we have positive proofs here before us just like they say they have also."
The PCB chairman had also said that the English players had taken huge amount of money to lose the third one-day series between England and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 at the Oval. However, he has apologized in a joint statement
issued by the PCB and ECB. Butt admitted he had no evidence to back up his claims and that he regretted the "misunderstanding" that followed even though he initially refused to back down from his comments.
The English players have accepted Butt's apology and withdrawn the threat of legal action which had loomed since Butt’s outburst.
"I wish personally and on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board to withdraw the comments I made concerning the England and Wales Cricket Board and each of the England players who played in the one-day International
at The Oval on Friday 17 September. It is regrettable that there was a misunderstanding arising from my comments," he said in his stated apology.
"I would like to make it quite clear that in the statements which I made that I never intended to question the behaviour and integrity of the England players nor the ECB nor to suggest that any of them were involved
in any corrupt practices or in a conspiracy against Pakistan cricket," the statement went on to say.
"In particular, I wish to make it clear that I have never seen any evidence of any wrongdoing by any England player or the ECB at any time," he added. "I deeply and sincerely regret that my statements have been
interpreted to cast doubt upon the good names of the England players and the ECB and hope that this public withdrawal will draw a line under the matter."
However, it was surprising when he said that he was grateful for the efforts of ECB and its chairman for their 'support' and 'hospitality'. Apologizing is one thing, and for what Butt did, is acceptable to a certain
extent, but Butt calling the behavior of the hosts as ‘hospitable’ did surprise many back home, and expectedly so.
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