Ijaz Butt’s legacy in Pakistan cricket is irreplaceable, as he not solely represented the nation in eight Take a look at matches but additionally held essential administrative positions all through his profession. His contributions ranged from being a member of the 1987 Reliance World Cup organising committee to serving because the secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board in the course of the 1980s. Butt’s journey continued with managing the senior group and eventually culminated with him taking the helm of the PCB from 2008 to 2011, making an indelible mark on the game.
Identified for his boldness and stubbornness, Butt by no means hesitated to say his authority, even when it meant turning down requests from highly effective figures. One such incident occurred when the then President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, appointed Butt as PCB chief in 2008. In a packed assembly, Butt courageously declined to maneuver the nationwide T20 championship from Lahore to Karachi, regardless of the President’s need.
Butt’s tenure as PCB chairman was riddled with controversies that might have been handled extra tactfully. He discovered himself on the centre of main controversies, together with the banning of senior gamers like Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, and Kamran Akmal. The 2008 terror assault in Mumbai additional exacerbated tensions between Pakistan and India, resulting in a freeze in cricketing ties between the 2 nations and the exclusion of Pakistani gamers from the Indian Premier League.
In 2009, regardless of profitable the T20 World Cup in England and reaching the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals in South Africa, clashes between Butt and senior gamers emerged, with the chairman satisfied that gamers’ energy centres throughout the group had been damaging Pakistan cricket. Infighting stories in the course of the South African tour led to the banning of senior gamers for indiscipline and leaking confidential group data. Regardless of the backlash, Butt stood agency, and the gamers had been solely reinstated after apologising and paying fines.
Shahid Afridi additionally skilled Butt’s unyielding strategies, dealing with hefty fines and self-discipline after saying his sudden retirement from ODIs and making critical accusations in opposition to the board. Butt made it clear that solely an apology and nice would pave the best way for Afridi’s return to the group.
Nonetheless, Butt’s tenure was not with out its darkish moments. The spot-fixing scandal in England, which resulted within the banishment of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir, shook the cricketing world. Underneath Butt’s management, Misbah ul Haq was appointed as Take a look at and later ODI captain.
Probably the most vital stain on Butt’s time period got here with the militant assault on the Sri Lankan cricket group in March 2009. The incident led to Pakistan dropping the internet hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup and overseas groups refusing to tour Pakistan as a consequence of safety issues.
Within the aftermath of the assault, Butt confronted criticism for his failure to deal with the scenario diplomatically, additional complicating issues for Pakistan cricket. The next 12 months, Butt accused England gamers of involvement with bookies, igniting a significant controversy between the 2 international locations. Regardless of later withdrawing his assertion, Butt’s strategy was scrutinised, with ICC CEO Malcolm Pace referring to him as a “buffoon” in an interview.
Whereas opinions could also be divided, there isn’t any denying that Ijaz Butt was an administrator who by no means performed to the galleries.
(With inputs from PTI)
