Ijaz accuses England of throwing game

NEW DELHI (AFP) Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt has launched an extraordinary attack on Englands players, saying they may have thrown a one-day international in return for enormous sums of cash.
Pakistan beat England in Fridays one-dayer at the Oval by 23 runs after the home side, chasing 242 to win, lost their last five wickets for just 17 runs.
But the Pakistani tourists, already accused of spot-fixing in a previous Test match, are now under new investigation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) over a suspicious scoring pattern in the Oval game.
In a remarkable intervention, Butt attempted to deflect suspicion back onto the England side.
There is loud and clear talk in bookie circle that some English players were paid enormous amounts of money to lose the (Oval) match, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board told Indias NDTV news channel late Sunday.
No wonder there was total collapse of the English side, he said.
Britains Sun tabloid claimed to have been made aware of details of Pakistans innings before the match had got underway.
The paper tipped off the ICC, which then watched as the scoring patterns in two suspect overs emerged as predicted, The Sun said.
But the overall result of the match was not believed to be fixed, the report added.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the new allegations which follow the suspension of three Pakistan players for alleged involvement in spot-fixing warranted further investigation.
Butt, however, told NDTV there was a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan and Pakistani cricket and threatened to reveal names of those involved in the conspiracy.
I only relayed what bookies are saying: PCB chief
Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt denied accusing England players of match-fixing on Monday after earlier suggesting they may have thrown a one-day international for enormous sums of cash. In an interview with BBC Radio Five Live, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman said he had merely been relaying information from bookmakers relating to Englands one-day defeat to Pakistan at the Oval on Friday.
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, Butt said.
Asked about mounting calls for the remaining two matches in the series at Lords on Monday and Southampton on Wednesday to be cancelled, Butt said he wanted the games to go ahead.
If they (the England and Wales Cricket Board) want to scrap it they can scrap it, we will go ahead with it, Butt told the BBC.
Butt triggered uproar late Sunday in an interview with the NDTV news channel where he linked Englands cricketers to match-fixing.
An England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman told AFP the organisation was making no comment about Butts charges. However his remarks are certain to infuriate Englands players, who have seen their own achievements in the Test series victory over Pakistan diminished by the corruption scandal embroiling the tourists.
Former PCB chiefs call Butts outburst irresponsible
Pakistans 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 Fridays one-dayer at The Oval after the home side lost their last five wickets for just 17 runs.
The ICC said it was tipped off by British tabloid The Sun that the pattern of Pakistans scoring was pre-arranged with bookmakers.
In response, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Butt launched an extraordinary counter-attack against the England players.
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 Fridays 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 Butts charges.
The latest allegations raised by The Sun follow the suspension of three Pakistan players for alleged involvement in spot-fixing.
Butt, however, told NDTV there was a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan and Pakistani cricket and threatened to reveal names of those involved.
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 doesnt know much, so I dont 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 Lords later on Monday and Southampton on Wednesday to be cancelled. Butt told the BBC that he wanted the games to go ahead.