Storm of rumours' in cricket - Ijaz Butt

Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has promised to co-operate fully with all investigations arising from the spot-fixing scandal that tainted his country's recent tour of England, as he arrived back in Lahore on Wednesday following a bridge-building trip to London. During the visit, he apologised to the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, for claiming that England's cricketers had accepted a bribe to lose last month's third ODI at The Oval.

In a statement issued on his return to Pakistan, Butt said that the cricket world "is reeling from a storm of allegations and rumours", but sought to distance himself from the allegations that he himself had perpetuated by claiming that his reference to "loud and clear talk in bookie circles" regarding England's cricketers had merely been an attempt to point out that Pakistan is not the only country under suspicion.

"Many of these recent allegations have concerned the Pakistan cricket team, and these must and will be properly investigated," said Butt. "But, and this was my point, the problem, and the rumours, are not confined to any single country. Those of us who care about the state of cricket in the world today will not flinch from a thorough, uncompromising investigation of any such allegations and rumours, whether they concern Pakistan or any other cricketing nation, and we at the PCB will give any such investigation our fullest cooperation and support.

Butt's future as PCB chairman is under intense scrutiny as he approaches the second anniversary of his appointment, with several influential figures, including Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner to the UK and a vocal presence when the spot-fixing crisis first broke, calling for a shake-up of the PCB hierarchy. In a letter to the Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari - dated September 17 and seen by ESPNcricinfo - Wajid stated: "It seems everything was happening under the nose of PCB officials and they did not bother to take note of it… It will have to be investigated since their critics claim they looked the other way."

Furthermore, in casting aspersions on the integrity of England's cricketers, Butt succeeded in alienating Pakistan's most significant allies in the world game, given that Clarke is also the head of an ICC task force investigating the feasibility of the return of international cricket to the country. Butt, however, reiterated that he had corrected the "misunderstanding" during his meetings with the ECB, and felt confident that his personal relationship with the chairman had been restored.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of this recent visit to London," said Butt. "While I was there I had a positive and productive meeting with Mr. Giles Clarke, Chairman of the ECB, who has consistently shown himself to be a good friend to Pakistan cricket. This allowed us to address a variety of concerns, and to correct any misunderstandings which may have arisen.

"In particular, I was happy to correct the misunderstanding that I, or anyone at the PCB had made any allegations about members of the England cricket team. The point which I have sought to make from the beginning was that the world of cricket is reeling from a storm of allegations and rumors, and these must be addressed.

"I say again, we at the PCB have no specific evidence of any wrong doing by cricketers from England. Our priority and our responsibility must be the actions of the Pakistan Team. These are quite properly subject now to an investigation by both Scotland Yard and the ICC. But we will work with our colleagues at the ICC, and with all those involved with cricket administration around the world, to ensure that this game which we all love continues to be played in a spirit of honesty, fairness and sportsmanship.

"I am very glad that we have been able to resolve this misunderstanding with our friends in English cricket. We have all agreed to put this behind us now, and to concentrate on working together for the good of the game." 

Suspended Pakistan trio's appeals to be heard in Qatar

 The appeals of the three Pakistani players against the provisional suspensions imposed on them by the ICC in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal will take place in Doha, Qatar on October 30 and 31.

Michael Beloff QC, the head of the ICC code of conduct commission, will hear the appeals of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the trio who were charged for various offences on September 2 after the News of the World allegedly exposed a plan to bowl deliberate pre-planned no-balls during the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's.

Butt, Pakistan's captain during the Test, filed his appeal last week while the appeals of Asif and Amir were received by the ICC this week. The dates of the appeal means the trio will miss, at the very least, the two T20Is and two ODIs of Pakistan's series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Beloff is the president of the British Association of Sport and Law. He attended Eton and Oxford, and was president of Trinity College from 1996 to 2006. Time included him in its 2008 list of the 100 most influential lawyers in Great Britain, while Legal Business called him one of the top ten barristers of the decade in 1999.

There had been speculation in Pakistan over the choice of venue for the hearings; some reports suggested the players were not keen on the hearings taking place in London, wary of a potentially hostile environment with extensive media coverage. One of the lawyers, however, denied this, telling ESPNcricinfo no such requests were made. Dubai, the home of the ICC, was also out of the question as Asif is barred from entering the UAE following a detention in 2008 for a drug-related offence. Doha was thus chosen after consultation between the ICC and the players.

"It is important to understand that the appeals are against the provisional suspension only and will not consider the substantive charges that were laid against the players on 2 September 2010," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said in a statement. "In the meantime, the players remain provisionally suspended from all cricket and related activities."

The case marks the first time the ICC has provisionally suspended players under its anti-corruption code. The clause for provisional suspension was included in the Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel less than a year ago, and came into force on October 6, 2009 after unanimous approval from all ICC member nations.