If someone had mentioned the name Ijaz Butt about a month ago you’d have been forgiven for thinking that they were making some veiled gesture about your gluteal region, or that they’re specialist in jazzing up that part of yours, or anyone elses, anatomy. That was until the Pakistanis started to fight back in the recent match fixing scandal.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Butt had claimed that England had fixed one of the one day international matches
between the two sides. Mr Butt, so amazed that his country had even managed to win a one-dayer, made the accusation that England had “accepted enormous amounts of money” to throw the game, which Pakistan had won by only 23 runs.
This caused ructions between both camps, resulting in a fight between Englo-South African Jonathan Trott and one of the Pakistani players, and there was a further development yesterday.
“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,” Mr Butt said.
Having seen the TV interview myself it’s hard to see how it could be misconstrued, but the English and Wales Cricket Board have drawn a line under it, as has Butt, so obviously that’s that.
