Pakistan chief scotches match-fix allegations

Islamabad:

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt has scotched suggestions the team fixed matches at the Champions Trophy, and scolded an official who attacked an umpire's performance.

Butt returned home on Thursday after the Champions Trophy in South Africa, where he also attended International Cricket Council board meetings.

A parliamentarian in Pakistan has accused the national team of throwing games in the Champions Trophy and has asked Butt, coach Intikhab Alam and captain Younis Khan to appear before a sports committee of the lower house on October 13.

"It's (sports committee) a government wing and we have no problems to appear before them, we will definitely go and explain our position," Butt said on Thursday.

"There was no match-fixing in the Champions Trophy."

Butt said the ICC was unhappy with comments made by a PCB governing council member Dr. Mohammad Ali Shah, criticizing the performance of Australian umpire Simon Taufel in the semifinal loss to New Zealand.

"There were a number of questionable (umpiring) decisions made during the Champions Trophy but we cannot agitate to the International Cricket Council," Butt said.

"The ICC has its own procedure to evaluate the performance of an umpire and they follow that."

Shah wanted Taufel removed from umpiring international matches.

"The ICC has taken a strong notice of Mr. Shah's comments and we have also asked him to explain on what grounds he had said such a thing."

In denying match fixing, Butt said Pakistan fought hard throughout the tournament in South Africa and came the closest of any team to beating eventual champion Australia.

"If you look at our team's performance we took the match against Australia until the very last ball, otherwise Australia won all their games quite easily."