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I requested appeals judge to lift bans on players: Butt
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has revealed that an appeals judge lifted bans and reduced fines on players penalised for indiscipline on his "request".
Karachi:
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt has revealed that an appeals judge lifted bans and reduced fines on players penalised for indiscipline on his "request".
Butt defended the decision to lift the bans and reduce the fines of the six affected players.
"Who says that we have detracted on the committee's decision? We are not inconsistent in our decision making.
There are two factors to it: some quarters asked us to review our decisions, which we out-rightly denied saying that the board would stick to its decision. Someone called for lifting the ban from one key player. I put my foot down and made it clear that there would be no discrimination; either we lifted the ban on all or none," Butt said.
"Then on May 24, we had a meeting with the standing committee on sports. It's chairman Iqbal Mohmmad Ali asked if we could review the verdict. I agreed to review it under my discretion. I agreed to recommend to the judge heading the inquiry tribunal, to see to our requests," he stated.
Appeals judge Irfan Qadir surprised the cricket community by lifting bans on former captains Shoaib Malik and Younus Khan and removing and reducing fines on Shahid Afridi, Kamran and Umar Akmal just three months after they were penalised for indiscipline.
The appeals' judge is also expected to remove the 12-month ban on allrounder Rana Naved at his hearing on June 19.
Butt said his 20-month performance as PCB chairman is good as the team had done reasonably well.
"Board's performance is reviewed through its national team. We are always compared with India. What is the status of the Indian team today? India did not win the Champions Trophy; they lost to us. At the Word Twenty20 Indians didn't even qualify for the semis, they lost all three matches in the
Super Eight, but the green-shirts played with determination to make it to the semis," he said.
Insisting that there was no match fixing in Pakistan cricket, Butt defended his appointments.
"It is only Yawar Saeed who is close. I have known him for the last 50 years. I didn't bring him in PCB, in fact in the last 10 years Saeed has served as manager with all the boards and he has done extremely well."
Butt defended the decision to lift the bans and reduce the fines of the six affected players.
"Who says that we have detracted on the committee's decision? We are not inconsistent in our decision making.
There are two factors to it: some quarters asked us to review our decisions, which we out-rightly denied saying that the board would stick to its decision. Someone called for lifting the ban from one key player. I put my foot down and made it clear that there would be no discrimination; either we lifted the ban on all or none," Butt said.
"Then on May 24, we had a meeting with the standing committee on sports. It's chairman Iqbal Mohmmad Ali asked if we could review the verdict. I agreed to review it under my discretion. I agreed to recommend to the judge heading the inquiry tribunal, to see to our requests," he stated.
Appeals judge Irfan Qadir surprised the cricket community by lifting bans on former captains Shoaib Malik and Younus Khan and removing and reducing fines on Shahid Afridi, Kamran and Umar Akmal just three months after they were penalised for indiscipline.
The appeals' judge is also expected to remove the 12-month ban on allrounder Rana Naved at his hearing on June 19.
Butt said his 20-month performance as PCB chairman is good as the team had done reasonably well.
"Board's performance is reviewed through its national team. We are always compared with India. What is the status of the Indian team today? India did not win the Champions Trophy; they lost to us. At the Word Twenty20 Indians didn't even qualify for the semis, they lost all three matches in the
Super Eight, but the green-shirts played with determination to make it to the semis," he said.
Insisting that there was no match fixing in Pakistan cricket, Butt defended his appointments.
"It is only Yawar Saeed who is close. I have known him for the last 50 years. I didn't bring him in PCB, in fact in the last 10 years Saeed has served as manager with all the boards and he has done extremely well."
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