JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Aand here comes the response to Butt’s statements made from his butt. Relationship with ECB completely ruined no matter how the story moves from here.

http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/current/story/477928.html

Angry England hit back at Butt remarks
ESPNcricinfo staff
September 20, 2010
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Andrew Strauss: not impressed by Ijaz Butt’s remarks © PA Photos
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In Focus: Match-fixing
Matches: England v Pakistan at The Oval
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of England
Teams: England | Pakistan
The England & Wales Cricket Board has announced that it will be taking legal action against Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the PCB, after describing his allegations that England’s players accepted a bribe to lose the third ODI at The Oval as “wholly irresponsible and completely without foundation”.

However, in a strongly-worded statement on behalf of the ECB and the England team, it was announced that the final two matches of Pakistan’s tour would go 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 were of such extraordinary gravity that the ECB waited almost 24 hours before formulating its official response, and their statement was only issued after a lengthy meeting between the ECB and Team England, which stretched late into Sunday night. Present at the discussions were the ECB’s chairman Giles Clarke, the CEO David Collier, the managing director of England Cricket, Hugh Morris, and the England Captain and Coach, Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flower, who went on to have a subsequent meeting with all of the England team.

“The team deplores and rejects unreservedly the suggestion that any England cricketer was involved in manipulating the outcome, or any individual element, of the third NatWest Series ODI at the Brit Insurance Oval between England and Pakistan last week,” read a statement issued on behalf of the England team. “The players fully understand their responsibilities as representatives of their country, and would not countenance giving less than 100% in any match they play.”

In the circumstances, England’s players were, by the admission of their captain, Andrew Strauss, extremely reluctant to complete the series, and the rawness of the emotions between the two sides was demonstrated by an altercation in the Nursery Ground nets shortly before the start of the the Lord’s ODI, between Jonathan Trott and Wahab Riaz. There had been some speculation that the toss would be delayed as a result, but the game eventually got underway as scheduled.

“We would like to express our surprise, dismay and outrage at the comments made by Mr Butt yesterday,” said Strauss. "We are deeply concerned and disappointed that our integrity as cricketers has been brought into question. We refute these allegations completely and will be working closely with the ECB to explore all legal options open to us.

“Under the circumstances, we have strong misgivings about continuing to play the last two games of the current series and urge the Pakistani team and management to distance themselves from Mr Butt’s allegations. We do, however, recognise our responsibilities to the game of cricket, and in particular to the cricket-loving public in this country, and will therefore endeavour to fulfil these fixtures to the best of our ability.”

Angus Porter, Chief Executive of the PCA, added: “The players appreciate the difficult position the ECB finds itself in, and is fully supportive of the actions taken by the Board, along with the ICC, to ensure all allegations of wrong-doing are properly investigated and acted upon. We will continue to cooperate closely with the ECB, with the aim of ensuring that the work to root out corruption is not derailed by mischievous attempts to detract attention from the real issues.”

The ECB reiterated its faith in the integrity of its players by expressing its gratitude for the “outstanding conduct” of the players since the first allegations surfaced against the Pakistan team during the fourth Test at Lord’s, and added that it would be taking “all legal and disciplinary action which may result from Mr Butt’s comments”.

“The ECB will continue to offer ICC its full support in taking the strongest possible action against all areas of corruption and is pledged to offering the ACSU its full support at all times,” continued the statement. "Given the current sensitivities surrounding this issue, ECB believes it is imperative that any serious allegations made against another team or player should be presented through the proper channels to the ACSU. Both ECB and Team England view the comments made by Mr Butt as defamatory and not based in fact.

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: “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.”

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

I would say - does not make sense of PCB to implicate ECB and its players. After all their battle is more with ICC. Alas diplomacy is lost on Butt.

Now that ECB has hit out against PCB - it gets murkier

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

It'll just get worse for Pakistan. Nothing is going good. And one can only imagine how long lasting its effect would be. And yes if the legal action occurs, Butt would be in serious trouble since he hasnt provided any proof unless he has got that hidden in his BUTT pocket...

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

I can understand Ijaz Butt's anger and frustration at learning about ICC's decision to investigate 3rd ODI only thru media reports. But using words like conspiracy etc. without any solid proof or evidence is very unwise of him. He should know the difference between evidence and mere rumours or hearsay

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Butt has shot himself in both feet

Ijaz Butt is not a tabloid. Even if he had been one, then hurling accusations at another team for having thrown a match probably wouldn’t have passed for acceptable behaviour. He would have been chided for not going to the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit or police officials first and handing over some proof before revealing all; chided, that is, for not following a process.
No, Butt is not a tabloid. He is the sitting board chairman of a full member of the ICC. To say what he has said publicly scrapes even the barrel of unacceptable social decorum. To do so to the team of a board whose chairman has gone out of his way to help, as Giles Clarke has over the last year, is outside the bounds of sane behaviour.
Clarke heads the ICC’s task force on bringing cricket back to Pakistan; he has pushed the idea of an international XI playing here. In September’s Wisden Cricketer, Clarke writes knowledgeably and with some passion of the importance of international cricket returning to Pakistan. If a slap in the face was acceptable as a return for favours, then here is Butt’s response.
Forget Clarke: what is the chairman saying to his own team? “Sorry Gul and company, that super win of yours, against all odds, from an unwinnable position and all that? Sorry, that was only because the other team might have thrown it.” And it should be worrying, very worrying, that the debate Butt is starting displays a total lack of understanding of the nuances of modern fixing. How can Pakistan be blamed for fixing when they lose and when they win, asks Butt. If he doesn’t know - or chooses to ignore - the irrelevance of spot-fixing to the ultimate result of a match, harder times lie in wait.
To be kind, it is understandable that the PCB feels under siege. The second set of allegations from the Sun feels considerably less substantial than the first. Scoring patterns, a few overs, dons in Dubai and Delhi, a source; compared to the News Of The World, this is all very inexact. Other papers in the UK have also speculated wildly and often inaccurately.
A breed under siege needs to hit back, to retaliate. And retaliation, if you feel you’ve been genuinely wronged, can be justified and useful. But a basic minimum requirement is to identify the correct target. It wasn’t Clarke or the ECB who started this. It was a tabloid. Sue them for defamation, take them to court. Launch an investigation against them. Is the ICC’s executive the target? Speak to other ICC members about it. Develop a consensus, build a coalition, make friends, influence people. Take them to court if you really feel the need. Ranting from this kind of a written statement is not retaliation, unless shooting yourself in the head is an acceptable form of retaliation.
The PCB may well even have a fair bone or two to pick with the ICC. The suits at the ICC’s head office are more expensive these days. The interiors of their offices are flashier too. Overall the edifice is slicker. And they still can’t, in this day and age, do something as basic as getting in touch with two leading boards to let them know that they are about to release a very significant statement that concerns a match their sides have just played. Neither the PCB nor the ECB, as is apparent from their stances, were told this statement was coming out.
The ICC claimed it tried to contact Butt all day on Friday before releasing the statement on Saturday morning. Butt was in Delhi, having met Sharad Pawar earlier in the week. Pawar is the president of the ICC. Butt and Pawar’s meeting was widely reported around the world, on ESPNcricinfo, on TV in India and Pakistan, and by wire agencies.
The ICC, it appears, remarkably, was unaware of this meeting so they tried Butt on his phone, one that, because he was in India and because there is no roaming cellular service between the two countries, was unavailable. The ICC did not think to contact someone at the PCB HQ in Lahore, the spokesman perhaps, the chairman’s assistant, the chief operating officer, or the GM cricket operations - both of the latter are regular ICC meeting attendees - to leave with them a message, or Lord help us, to find a way of contacting Butt.
Should the ICC have released a statement at all? On balance, if they hadn’t, then a tabloid-fuelled frenzy of speculation and accusation could’ve been worse. Should they have done so without consulting either board? Absolutely not.
None of this - the ICC’s incompetence, or even the allegations of the Sun - constitute, however, a “conspiracy to defraud Pakistan”. It is a neat bit of wordplay (surprisingly neat actually), cynically designed to win over local opinion numbed into buying such theories instead of looking inwards. To one channel, in his wide-ranging assault, Butt said the purpose of the PCB’s investigation was to prove to people in Pakistan that the board should not be blamed for this, as they have been equally since the Lord’s Test.
A reality check is needed. Why would anyone conspire against Pakistan? To bring them down from the giddy heights of sixth in the Test and seventh in the ODI rankings?
Newspapers don’t run conspiracies, they run a business, which requires them to make money by selling more papers. News of fixing sells, now more than ever. And the ICC governs a sport that has fewer full, elite members than a human has fingers. By getting rid of Pakistan, it makes its own limited, increasingly uncompetitive, sport considerably less competitive, and competition is the one thing that will sustain it. Strictly on the field, in such a tough summer, let’s not forget that Pakistan have done better than many had thought, in winning two Tests, two Twenty20s and at least one, possibly more, ODIs. New Zealand, Bangladesh and West Indies hope for results such as those.
But how much longer can it go on? The PCB’s relationship with the ICC has broken down entirely, that much is clear. Furthermore Butt has ensured that what few friends the PCB has are swiftly being lost. South Africa, privately, are making noises about playing Pakistan. New Zealand might do soon. More neutral Tests in England are unlikely. India is hostage to political winds.
If the darkest day in Pakistan’s cricket actually does come, and talk of giving Pakistan a temporary break becomes reality, it will not be the result of any conspiracy. It will be the result of the worst administration ever to have run cricket in this land.

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/477920.html

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

^^ great article there by osman.

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Everyone needs to shutup
Sorry, Umar Gul. It seems you didn’t single-handedly win us the third ODI](http://blog.dawn.com/2010/09/20/everyone-needs-to-shut-up/(http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/engine/match/426430.html) by producing a career best performance. Rather, “sinister” elements in England’s line-up handed you their wickets as part of a conspiracy to malign Pakistan cricket.
At least that’s what Ijaz Butt would have **everyone believe](http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/current/story/477814.html).**
In undermining the finest performance by our beleaguered team in more than a month, Mr. Butt proved that perhaps no institution is more detrimental to Pakistan cricket than the PCB itself. Scandals and allegations are par for the course in any sport. Rag sheets such as News of the World and The Sun have a faithful readership to satiate and will be churning out exposés on match and spot fixing long after the current ones have been forgotten. But the very least a team can expect is for its governing body to display a modicum of composure in the face of such adversity.
No such luck as the PCB has decided to go in all guns blazing.
Ijaz Butt would argue that the best defense is a good offense, a strategy deployed as recently and embarrassingly as the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team when Ijaz lashed out at an umpire who was shot at. Mr. Butt declared that Chris Broad’s comments regarding the allegedly lax security were completely untrue. Did the chairman need evidence that security was an issue? Let me present Exhibit A: two buses riddled with bullets after being shot at for a prolonged period and an umpire and various players sustaining injuries. Exhibit B: video evidence showing the perpetrators of the attack strolling through a local marketplace before the assault. Other than that, I suppose Mr. Broad has no point.
The PCB chairman’s recent comments are no less foolhardy.
It is troubling to hear of another possible incident of spot-fixing so close on the heels of the Lord’s debacle. However, the very proximity in time between both cases may devalue the credibility of the latest allegations. The tour has come under an intense media spotlight following the Lord’s test and Scotland Yard and the ICC are undoubtedly diligently monitoring the ODI series as their investigations continue. In the face of all this attention, it defies human logic for anyone to be stupid enough to attempt something underhanded at this point in time.
There is talk that Pakistan’s slow run-rate was a deliberate go-slow tactic by our team. Here’s another theory: We lost two wickets within the first five overs, courtesy of some genuinely good bowling and bad luck, and were reliant on a raw middle order. Mohammad Yousuf is no longer a fluent one-day batsman. Asad Shafiq is playing his third ODI so pardon him for taking time to set himself and adjust to international level bowling. In fact, Shafiq lost his wicket in an unnecessary attempt to up the tempo. Fawad Alam, another relative novice, did exactly the right thing by dropping anchor. Six fewer runs by Alam and this series would be over.
Given the composition of our middle order, it’s likely that we won’t be rocketing along at six-an-over in the middle overs, even if we’re given a strong start as was the case in the second ODI. Accordingly, it doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to predict that our middle order is prone to batting at a gradual pace. It’s practically inevitable. In fact, I’m willing to predict run rates of 3 to 4 in our middle overs for the next two games. Now if that was to happen, would the ICC announce that information leaked from Dawn Blog has lead them to suspect spot-fixing in the fourth and fifth ODI? Hopefully not.
Which is why the ICC’s publication of this recent allegation is unfortunate and disappointing. I would question the purpose of such a preemptive disclosure. Other than cause a heightened media furor, spectator disenchantment and player tension, there could be nothing constructive to be gained from shedding light on accusations based, for all we know, on hearsay. In certain instances the ICC has chosen to be more discreet, such as recently when we learned that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were being investigated by the ICC before the allegations broke out. Why was there then a need to be so transparent this time? In the absence of an obligation to publicly disseminate such information, the ICC’s decision to air the present allegations seems extremely short-sighted and, really, in bad taste.
Thankfully for them, though, their tactical blunder has been overlooked due to the jaw-dropping rhetoric emanating from Ijaz Butt.
Ijaz Butt seems hell-bent on enacting an episode of the X-Files and accusing the ECB and its players of sabotaging the third ODI. Yes, the same ECB who agreed to host Pakistan’s home series against Australia and gave us four tests, five ODIs and two T20s against their own team. Rather than profit from the smooth execution of such fixtures, the nefarious ECB was attempting to defraud Pakistan by deliberately losing the third ODI.
Butt’s proof? He cleverly refuses to shed any further light and challenges other parties to substantiate their allegations against our players. I wonder how Butt’s evidence would hold up if the ICC called his bluff. Bear in mind that Butt’s proof probably revolves around a mysterious crop circle forming the letter “E” which serves as proof positive that the “E”CB is attempting to take over the world.
It is understandably frustrating to have the ICC come out and air flimsy accusations about an under-fire team moments after it has earned a rare, dramatic success on the tour. But surely this is not the appropriate response. Even if there is a shred of truth in Butt’s accusations, one should be mindful of the forum and occasion where one airs such ideas. I believe in extraterrestrial life but I wouldn’t preface my arguments to a judge in a courtroom with that fact.
The best way for the PCB to have handled this situation would have been to rubbish the news as mere speculation and challenge the ICC and The Sun to provide some sturdy evidence, particularly as the ICC seems generous enough to reassure the PCB that its players are not under suspicion. Sadly, Ijaz Butt prefers the fantastical to the practical and his outlandish tirade will only fuel the skepticism surrounding our players who cannot afford to not be taken seriously at this point.

http://blog.dawn.com/2010/09/20/everyone-needs-to-shut-up/

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

I have come to conclusion that Ijaz Butt is actually Ijaz Ass. He is really a son of donkey and a DNA test must be taken immediately. Although lately donkeys have gain some brains living in human but this particular clan of donkeys have left behind in wilderness.

I swear there is not a single thing human in this stinky, filthy pile of rotten flesh.

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

**Hopeless at Lord’s: Kamran Abbasi **

Omar Kurieshi, Pakistan’s great writer and broadcaster, once sent me on a mission. It was in my early days of cricket writing, and he had recruited me for Sportsweek, his new publication. I was sent to talk to Wasim Akram, possibly the greatest left-arm pacemen of them all and a man besieged by match-fixing allegations. Kurieshi wanted to help him, rescue Pakistan’s champion from the baying hounds with the smell of blood in their nostrils. I met Wasim, looked him in the eye, and asked him whether the allegations were true or not. The master of reverse swing was quick to reassure me of his innocence.

The point of this anecdote is not to question Wasim’s integrity, it is to highlight a human trait that is not peculiarly Pakistani but has become a common feature of Pakistan’s response to match-fixing or spot-fixing allegations. It is simply this: each allegation is seen as a conspiracy or attack on Pakistan, an attack that has to be repulsed at all costs, instead of a red alert about corruption.

These posturings are wearisome but they have now turned outrageous with Ijaz Butt’s misfiring accusations against England’s cricketers. I don’t know which players from which teams are involved in fixing performances and results; only the players and the bookmakers know for sure. I do know that serious match-fixing allegations have surrounded international cricket for many decades.

But the strongest evidence I have ever come across was unearthed by the Indian authorities when they caught Hansie Cronje and others. The most shocking information I have ever seen about Pakistan cricket was released in the recent sting by the News of the World. It had taken a decade to restore much of the faith in the integrity of cricket that was lost last time around, only for it to be shattered by a few minutes of Internet video. I worry about transcripts, recordings, and marked notes but I care little for idle conjecture about slow-scoring, accelerations and decelerations at will; wins and losses at a whim.

I want resolution. I want corruption out of cricket more than I want to save the career of any corrupt cricketer; an attitude that anybody who cares for this great sport must share. I don’t want the head of Pakistan’s cricket board to put political posturing before establishing the truth surrounding these allegations. I don’t want him to accuse another country’s cricketers of throwing matches, especially a country that has lent a dime in a summer of need. Instead, I want him to clean up Pakistan cricket.

I want resolution from ICC too. I want the game’s ruling body to be a worthy custodian, championing the best in this sport and eradicating corruption. I don’t want the ICC to lie dormant until it is roused by media scoops, second to every scandal. I don’t want the ICC to pretend that corruption is only skin deep and confined to a single country. I want the ICC to be an organisation that uses power with responsibility and creates a thriving sport full of integrity.

I know these are false hopes in desperate times. The last few days have seen two calamitous acts. First is the inexcusable announcement by ICC that the ODI at The Oval is under investigation, an announcement that left both cricket boards uninformed and 22 players under suspicion. Second is the unfitting attack by Butt on other players and cricket organisations. These harmful instances suggest that the ICC and the PCB have lost control of the crisis and are about to embark on a calamitous confrontation.

I know in my heart that it is probably best for this dread tour to finish now and save us further pain. Yet I also know that I will wend my way to Lord’s in the hope that I might see a final stand from Pakistan cricket to defy its critics and to prove its honesty. I will contemplate the value of commenting on performances that may or may not be genuine. I will think back to the boy who once believed that cricket was a proud battle of skill, will, and bravery. I will imagine a time when cricket is again free of the obscenity of corruption. I will watch Shahid Afridi’s men perform at the home of cricket, every cricketer’s dream, and imagine what Pakistan cricket might have been.

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/pakspin/ar…s_at_lords.php

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Pick the correct statement.

A. Ijaz Butt is second only to Zardari

B. Zardari is second only to Ijaz Butt

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Ijaz Butt is a butt of all jokes now.
He is not only a racist but his latest statement showed that he is also a nincompoop.

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

^ Are you satisfied with the 'provincial' team's performance today?

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Butt is an idiot. I heard his interview this morning on the radio and he even bettered himself in stupidity stakes when compared to the Pakistani high commissioner who made himself an ass a few weeks ago.

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Zardari urges end to cricket blame game


**President Asif Ali Zardari discussed with British High Commissioner Adam Thomson on Monday the issue of match-fixing allegations levelled against the Pakistani cricket team and assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Imran Farooq in London. **

**According to sources, President Zardari, who is the Patron in Chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, expressed concern over the match fixing allegations and said the blame game should be stopped by both sides. **

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar refused to comment on the matter discussed at the meeting.

The president also asked Mr Thomson to convey his request to the UK authorities to complete investigation in Mr Farooq’s murder case as soon as possible.

The spokesman said the president called upon the British government and EU countries to further pursue the progress recently made at a foreign ministers’ meeting of the European Union for grant of market access to Pakistani goods in Europe’s markets.

“The grant of trade concessions to Pakistan will enable the government to generate employment opportunities and look after the flood-affected people,” he said.

He thanked the UK and EU and said the market access would help the country to revive its economy which had been badly hit by the war against extremism and the devastating floods.

“In order to ensure transparency, a foolproof system has been developed for utilisation of flood aid. All information about the aid received and disbursed will be put on the web and accessible to everyone,” he said.

Matters regarding rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-hit areas, revival of economy, bilateral relations, war against militants and regional situation were also discussed.

President Zardari stressed the need for starting a ‘strategic dialogue’ between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/uk-asked-to-expedite-london-murder-probe-zardari-urges-end-to-cricket-blame-game-190

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Butt’s comments suicidal, say ex-chiefs

Pakistan’s cricket chief Ijaz Butt came under stinging criticism from predecessors Monday for accusing England players of throwing a match for money, warned that he would further isolate his homeland.
Pakistan beat England in Friday’s one-dayer at The Oval after the home side lost their last five wickets for just 17 runs.
But the Pakistani tourists, already accused of spot-fixing in a previous Test match, are under new investigation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) over a suspicious scoring pattern in the limited-overs game.
The ICC said it was tipped off by British tabloid The Sun that the pattern of Pakistan’s scoring was pre-arranged with bookmakers.
In response, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Butt launched an extraordinary counter-attack against the England players.
“There is loud and clear talk in bookie circle that some English players were paid enormous amounts of money to lose the match,” Butt told India’s NDTV news channel late Sunday.
“No wonder there was total collapse of the English side,” he said.
Former PCB chief Khalid Mahmood slammed his remarks as “most ridiculous”.
“This is not the way to fight corruption,” Mahmood told AFP. “If Mr Butt has any evidence of the same he should have shared them with the English cricket authorities rather than going public.
“It is hara-kiri and tantamount to suicide. This will further isolate Pakistan in the cricket world because England, Australia and India are the three most powerful cricketing nations,” he said.
In a follow-up interview with BBC Radio Five Live on Monday, Butt said he had merely been relaying information from bookmakers relating to Friday’s match.
“I have never said this. If you listen to the full tape of the NDTV interview, the bookies are saying this. I am not saying this,” he said.
Mahmood, who deftly handled ball-tampering accusations against Pakistani bowlers on an England tour in 1992, praised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for aiding Pakistan during the spot-fixing furore of recent weeks.
“The ECB has not uttered a single word in this (fixing) controversy although the British media has come up with a lot of footage and claims, and contrary to that, the ECB helped find an attorney for the Pakistani players.
“Instead of accusing a country, the PCB should have pressurised Scotland Yard to conclude the investigation.”
The ECB said it had no comment about Butt’s charges.
The latest allegations raised by The Sun follow the suspension of three Pakistan players for alleged involvement in spot-fixing.
Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif have all been questioned by British police over an alleged plot to bowl deliberate no-balls during last month’s Test at Lord’s. They have denied any wrongdoing.
Shaharyar Khan, a former diplomat who was PCB chairman from 2003 to 2006, called on Butt to “take his words back” but doubted there would be long-term damage to relations between the English and Pakistani boards.
“There is a feeling among officials of other countries that Mr Butt doesn’t know much, so I don’t think it will do much damage,” he said.
Former PCB chief executive Arif Abbasi accused Butt of adopting a “misplaced strategy”.
“Accusing one country will not help your cause,” said Abbasi. “Butt should have talked of the global picture about how corruption is harming the game,” he said.
“Had he said that, he would have got support from other countries, but I am afraid he has done it all wrong and lost support.”
There are mounting calls for the remaining two matches in the limited-overs series – at Lord’s later on Monday and Southampton on Wednesday – to be cancelled. Butt told the BBC that he wanted the games to go ahead.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/cricket/07-butt-s-comments-suicidal-say+ex-chiefs-ha-06

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

Ian Bothom wants Pak to be banned from cricket:

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

^ he w'd esp. after the back to back 3rd and 4th ODI defeats

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

asif.. im not sure if it has anything to do with the defeats.. hes wrong for sure.. all of pak cricket doesnt deserve a punishment.. but his notion is definitely not based upon jsut 2 ODI defeats

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

I know Ijaz Butt's outburst implicating ECB and english team without proof was not only unwise but completely unwarranted - he should have directed his ire only at ICC and British tabloids - but all the supposedly guilty players (Asif, Aamer and Salman Butt) are back home and Pakistan have done well in the one-day series in their absence and despite going 2-0 down. so what is Mr. Botham's problem now?. Even if he is frustrated at Butt's wholly irresponsible comments, surely this is not the right way to respond. Botham is intelligent enough to know that Sun's allegations the other day did not have any basis either

Botham has always been jealous of Pakistan's success. During his playing days he never got on well with Imran Khan and you won't find a more polished, fair and honest cricketer than IK.

just my 2 cents

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Re: JUST IN : Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt - PCB Hits back

agree with you there Asif that Bothom's comments are unwarranted. I am not sure what the full background is of him making that call.