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Former International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani has branded the governing body “weak” for not doing more to prevent disgraced Pakistan batsman Salman Butt from taking up a World Cup media pundit role.
Although the ICC is powerless to prevent a private Pakistan TV channel from hiring Butt, who was banned for five years on spot-fixing charges last week, Mani said they should have tried harder or voiced their disapproval.
Instead Butt, the Pakistan captain during their tainted Test series in England last year, will be having his opinions broadcast to potentially millions in his homeland despite being banned from having any links with cricket.
The ICC told Reuters on Saturday that since Butt is working for Pakistan’s Channel 5 which is a non-licensee or rights holder, they are powerless to prevent him from working for the broadcaster.
“Legally, we have no jurisdiction,” said spokesman Sami-ul-Hasan.
Butt will be banned from attending the event itself and will be voicing his opinions from the private channel’s studio back in Pakistan.
“It’s wrong, the ICC is showing weak leadership and I am disappointed that it has not been tougher on this issue,” Mani told Reuters. “They could do much more.
“The ICC should not be silent and should express its disapproval, at least to the Pakistan Cricket Board which may have more influence in the country.
“A precedent has already been set on this by the ICC when (then chief executive) Malcolm Speed and I were in power and we stopped (Mohammad) Azharuddin from taking up a media role when he was banned.
“We objected because we felt it was sending the wrong message out to millions of viewers that a banned cricketer can still be allowed to be paid for his opinions.
“We spoke to the Indian board and let it be known to them that we were not impressed that a TV channel in their country was employing someone who was tainted.
“The same principles should also have applied in this instance.”
Butt was banned for 10 years at an ICC disciplinary hearing in Doha, Qatar, though five years of his ban were suspended.
His former team-mates Mohammad Asif (seven years with two suspended) and Mohammad Amir (five years) were also banned for their parts in a cheating scandal that rocked world cricket last year.
Pakistan winning the World Cup would help convince other teams to again play cricket in the country following a deadly attack in 2008, according to coach Waqar Younis.
Pakistan has had to play all of its home series at neutral venues after gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus and a vehicle carrying match officials at Lahore almost three years ago, killing several policemen and a driver.
The incident also led to Pakistan being stripped of co-hosting the World Cup, which starts Feb. 19 and will be staged in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
”It’s very important for us because our people want to see international matches,” Younis said. ”I’m sure if we win the World Cup it will open a new chapter in the cricketing world.”
Three Pakistan players were banned for a mininum of five years by the ICC last week on corruption charges, and Younis has praised his team for staying focused to beat New Zealand in test and one-day cricket and only narrowly lose an ODI series to South Africa.
”Despite so many controversies, the team had done well in the last year with series against South Africa and New Zealand,” the coach said.
”Fielding is the very big issue. We have a quite good bowling attack and the batting is gaining maturity,” said Younis, who added that ”even a half-fit (Shoaib) Akhtar will still be a terror.”
Younis has bitter memories of the World Cup, flying home injured before Imran Khan led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 tournament and then captaining a team in 2003 that failed to advance beyond the first round.
”The God has given me another chance,” he said. ”Seriously, this team has the potential to win the World Cup, it just needs to click and gain momentum at the right time.”
While the media of every country usually backs its team, a Sri Lankan newspaper columnist has urged the national squad not to win the World Cup — for the greater good of the nation.
“Call me a traitor, a quisling… anything. I don’t want Sri Lanka to be the champions of cricket World Cup 2011,” the sports writer of the privately run The Island daily said.
“Want to hang me, come catch me,” Russell Palipane wrote Saturday.
“Just imagine what will take place if Sri Lanka emerges champs. D. S. de Silva (President of Sri Lanka Cricket) and his cronies will say it was because of their organisation skills.”
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was recently described as “one of the most corrupt organisations in the country” by former sports minister C. B. Ratnayake. SLC is also the country’s richest sports governing body.
The Island newspaper, which usually supports the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse, also raised fears that ruling-party politicians will exploit a cup victory to bolster their own image.
The scathing report comes despite a government appeal to the local media not to hurt the morale of the national squad ahead of the World Cup, of which Sri Lanka is a host, along with India and Bangladesh.
The columnist goes on to beg Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara not to win the tournament, which runs from February 19 to April 2.
“Kumar dear, please spare the country. Don’t win it for the majority of this country are nothing but a pack of jokers, like the former chairman of selectors (Asantha de Mel), about whom (former skipper) Marvan Atapattu had a few things to say, before he retired,” the paper said.
Atapattu retired in 2008 after serious differences with the cricket administration.
Sri Lanka, who won the World Cup in 1996 and finished runners-up to Australia in the last event in 2007, are currently placed third in the ICC one-day rankings and among the favourites to win the title this time.
They open their campaign against cricket minnows Canada at Hambantota on February 20.
