Thaindian News

Lahore, Sep.4 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain and left hand opener Aamir Sohail has criticized Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt for misleading board patron, President Asif Ali Zardari and the public on the 2011 World Cup hosting issue.

Sohail, who resigned from the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) Director post recently, flayed Butt for calling general public ‘naive’.

“Let me assure Mr. Ijaz that the people of Pakistan are not naive. They are passionate about cricket, knowledgeable and fully aware of what is going on in the world of cricket. With all due respect Mr. Ijaz, you are the one who is wearing blinkers and do not have a clue as how to handle the affairs of cricket domestically and internationally,” Sohail said.

Sohail, in his statement, said Butt has no idea about tackling issues at international forums and held him responsible for the 2011 World Cup hosting fiasco.

“His letter to the ICC president accusing the chief executive officer of the ICC of influencing full members to support the IDI’s (commercial arm of the ICC) decision to relocate matches from Pakistan does not augur well with diplomatic norms when you are handling international matters, Mr Ijaz must know,” Sohail stated.

He lambasted Butt for the inept method in which the probe regarding March 3 terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore proceeded.

Sohail raised questions over the laid back attitude of the PCB, saying the whole issue was mishandled by the board.

“It was a major contributory factor in the subsequent developments vis-a-vis the World Cup 2011. The co-hosts were not contacted after the incident despite strong advice from some of his staff. Instead, he castigated ICC match referee Chris Broad. This did not go well in the world cricket regulatory body,” The Daily Times quoted Sohail, as saying.

“It was height of incompetence of the PCB officials that rather than accepting the responsibility they tried to persistently pass the buck on the government,” he added. (ANI)