Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said on Sunday his country had been unfairly targeted and that he will name the people behind spot-fixing allegations against players.
“We will shortly reveal the people, bodies and parties involved in this sinister conspiracy,” Butt told The Associated Press by a telephone interview from Dubai. “We reserve the right to sue them for the damage.”
Pakistan won the third one-day international against England at The Oval by 23 runs on Friday before another spot-fixing controversy overshadowed its rare win during an increasingly controversial tour.
The International Cricket Council launched an investigation into tabloid allegations of spot-fixing for the match at The Oval, after a tabloid newspaper suggested the scoring pattern in Pakistan’s innings was prearranged.
The probe comes just three weeks after the ICC suspended three Pakistan cricketers for alleged spot-fixing in the fourth Test against England in August.
The PCB has said it only knew the ICC was conducting an investigation into the third ODI through media reports.
An ICC spokesman told The AP that the game’s governing body had tried to contact Butt on Friday.
Butt arrived in Dubai on Saturday and met with ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat.
“As soon as we came to know that he (Butt) is in Dubai our chief executive met him Saturday evening and discussed matters of mutual interests,” the ICC spokesman said.
Butt also claimed that the media in “certain countries are biased and not fair.”
“This is not a conspiracy to defraud the bookies, this is a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket,” he said.
At Lord’s, England captain Andrew Strauss cautioned against abandoning the one-day series with Pakistan despite the latest allegations.
“It’s a hard thing to stop a series when we don’t know how credible the evidence is,” Strauss told reporters.
Both teams return to Lord’s for the fourth ODI on Monday with England leading the five-match series 2-1.
The series ends with the fifth match on Wednesday at Southampton.
Dave1
Roar Rookie
I wonder if an Australian grabbed an opposition player by the throat, like Trott did, what would the reaction be. As always, it seems like the English are allowed to do what they want. They are losing and at the same time they are accusing the other team of match fixing. May long they continue to lose. It couldn’t happen to a nicer team.
Bayman
Guest
Ijaz Butt may well be the most stupid administrator in the game. Is it any wonder Pakistan is a cricketing head case? To deny Pakistani involvement in, at the very least, spot fixing is lamentable. Patriotic, maybe, but ultimately silly and non-productive. To claim a conspiracy against Pakistan is lunacy. Why would anyone bother? The last gasp of a desperate man in desperate circumstances. To further accuse England of taking money to lose against the team for which he is the nominated cricket leader is tragically laughable. Or it would be if he was being funny. I don't know how Mister Butt can look anybody in the eye today without feeling like a complete prat. A fool. An idiot! Still, he never was popular. Back in 59/60 when he played a match against Australia he was batting and got cleaned up by the bowler (from memory, Davidson) in going for a run. Up in the air went Ijaz and down he came flat on his back like a sack of you-know-what and was run out. Nobody went to help him up because, to a man, they didn't like him so they just stood and waited for him to pick himself up and leave - while trying not to laugh. I suspect, too, that he may not have too many trying to pick him up after this latest monumental brain explosion. I'm not sure what's more embarrassing. The Pakistan cricket team or Ijaz Butt. Mind you, I'm beginning to feel some sympathy for the team if they've got to continually deal with old Ijaz. No doubt he will now become the Butt of several jokes.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Pakistan is two or three short steps removed from being thrown out of the ICC. The ECB and the England team have issued the strongest possible rebuttal to Izaz Butt's fanciful claims of English complicity. This is where Pawar as the head of the ICC will be tested. Butt had flown over to Delhi on the weekend to meet with Pawar. His statement was issued around the same time. This is where Pawar has to be more than a ceromonial door mat. Let's see what the next move will be.