A Case against Butt

Time is running out for Ijaz Butt

A lot was expected of Ijaz Butt when he was appointed chairman of the Pakistan cricket board in October 2008 as he had a vast experience of cricket management. Instead he did what he was capable of doing. That is to take Pakistan cricket to the brink of disaster. Pakistan cricket has seen many lows but under Ijaz Butt our cricket has become a laughing stock in the world. As one hopes his end is looming let us review the tawdry tales he would have left behind.
His immediate task was to create a calming atmosphere so that teams could start touring Pakistan without any security alarms. Champions Trophy was to be held in Pakistan in October 2009. But attack on Sri Lankan team bus in early 2009 made sure that Pakistan be deprived of not only the champions Trophy but international cricket for the foreseeable future.
The way Butt and co handled the security arrangements along with the then provincial government (Governor’s rule was imposed just days before) did not help either. Butt’s handling of the matters after the incident was so unprofessional that it proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back vis-à-vis international cricket in Pakistan. The 2011 world cup which was to be jointly hosted by Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was taken away from Pakistan. Butt threatened to sue International Cricket Council. But it was not to be as it was just another of a series of U-turns that he was to take during his tenure.
Earlier soon after taking office he had asked serious questions about financial mishandling of the previous PCB management. Shafqat Naghmi, PCB Chief Operating Officer, also threatened to sue Butt over allegations that the former was stealing official documents. But Mr. Butt did not endeavor to prove anything except accusing the previous office bearers. The way he treated Geoff Lawson, then Pakistani coach was just disrespectful. After initially suggesting that he would not retain him as coach he praised him and promised to take care of all his liabilities only to sack him in disgusting manner soon after. But hats off to Lawson who still keeps a special place for Pakistan cricket in his heart. His problems with the director-general of the PCB Javed Miandad led to latter’s resignation only to be reversed on the intervention of patron of the PCB, the president.  Standing committees of Senate and National Assembly have had several spats with him but Butt was never removed from office despite repeated calls from several quarters.
Pakistan under the able captaincy of Younis Khan won the T20 world cup in England in June 2009. It was thought that a new dawn was to come for Pakistan cricket. The summer tour of Sri Lanka was marred by match-fixing allegations over which the PCB sought legal advice. The ICC eventually cleared the Pakistan players from any contact with bookmakers.
Then came the darkest period in Pakistan cricket.
Troubles started in UAE during an ODI series against the Black Caps. Six to seven players took oath on Holy Quran that they will remain united against (the then captain) Younis Khan. That eventually led to Younis Khan taking a break from the game before the all important tour down under. Mohammad Yousuf was handed over the captaincy but his handling of the team both on and off the field was miserable to say the least and Pakistan was trounced by Australia in all forms of the game. PCB retaliated strongly and took action against seven players it believed were responsible for indiscipline and team’s failure to win a single game in Australia.
The captain Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned indefinitely, Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for a year while Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months. Yousuf and Younis were accused of infighting and having a negative influence on the team. The leakage of video clippings of the enquiry made him a butt of all the jokes and cast serious doubts over the legality of the whole exercise. All the players appealed except Yousuf who announced his retirement from international cricket. Eventually in a magmatic U-turn bans were lifted and fines reduced. All the players except Naved and Younis have made their come-backs into the team. The PCB has ruled out the return of Younis Khan to the Pakistan team because the player and his lawyer made “inappropriate statements”. In the current browbeaten atmosphere for the Pakistani cricketers the team needs a clean and strong character like Younis to lift their morals and morale but he is being made frustrated so much so that he is contemplating to move to UK. It is clear he needs to patch-up with Mr. Butt.
Then if all this was not enough recently concluded tour of England should have been the final nail in the coffin for Butt’s tenure. The Test series against England began poorly, with defeats at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston before Pakistan kept the contest alive with a victory at The Oval. During their defeat at Lord’s, however, the series was plunged into shame when a British tabloid ran a story alleging that Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were involved in spot-fixing by bowling deliberate no-balls. The players under scrutiny were questioned by the police and provisionally suspended by the ICC before the Twenty20 series between Pakistan and England began.
Pakistan lost both Twenty20 matches, and the one-day series that followed was at 2-1 when the ICC announced that it was investigating the Oval ODI, which Pakistan had won, after receiving information from another tabloid that bookies were aware of certain scoring patterns that would take place before the match. In a fit of emotion Ijaz Butt claimed that England’s players had thrown the match as part of a wider conspiracy to “defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket”, plunging the tour deeper into controversy. The ECB reacted strongly and said it would seek an apology from Butt or take legal action. Butt as usual stood his ground and vowed to prove his allegations but eventually in a shameful way read out apology scripted by the English authorities. This is the lowest he has gone so far. Do we need to see more embarrassment for our cricket and our country? Is he so indispensible that a country’s pride has been rendered at stake? If he does not have self-respect where has gone the self-worth of the patron-in-chief?
Instead of showing him the door he has been asked by higher authorities to appoint new officials in the PCB or forget about getting an extension after his two-year term expires later this month. It happens only in Pakistan. Unfortunately.
Mr. Butt you are 72 years old. You have very little time left to earn some respect. Choice is yours. Have mercy on Pakistan cricket and leave.