ECB asks Butt to apologise for comments

Karachi:

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday put it on record that it has received a letter from the England and Wales Cricket Board in connection with statements said to have been made to the media by PCB chief Ijaz Butt.

The letter to the PCB demands an official apology for Butt's remarks on English players which could turn out to be the final nail in the current PCB chief's coffin.

The PCB has in turn instructed its London lawyers to respond on its behalf.

"Former Test captain Zaheer Abbas and former President of International Cricket Council (ICC) Ehsan Mani are said to be strong candidates to take over from Butt," one well informed source said.

"Zaheer and Mani are equally strong candidates to take over as PCB chief and both are being pushed by strong lobbies in the government," the source said.

"They are also unconfirmed reports that summaries of both of them have already been sent to President Asif Ali Zardari for approval," he said.

Interestingly, Mani, who normally keeps a low profile, has been a harsh critic of the Butt regime for mishandling and misreading the spot fixing allegations.

Butt is also accused of spoiling relations with ICC and other boards with his failure to read the situation well.

"Lot will now depend on what outcome the Crown Prosecutor's office in London gives on the file of evidence submitted by the Scotland Yard on the spot fixing allegations against the Pakistani players," the source stated.

"The main charge that is being considered against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir is whether they are involved in defrauding the bookmakers," the source said.

(With PTI inputs)