Ijaz Butt needs to shut it

Until Butt has gathered evidence against England and can present it alongside his accusations, please spare us and the team. Let the boys prove themselves on the pitch.

Minutes after we won the 4th ODI at Lords my Facebook news feed was flooded with jubilant cries of victory. Cricket runs in our blood, and no matter how hard it becomes, how let down we are, a victory in cricket is special for us. Some of the people rooting for Pakistan cricket on Facebook were big skeptics who stopped believing in the team at the smallest sign of danger, while others were those who held out hope for the Pakistani team in the aftermath of the news of the world allegations.  This victory has got them believing and rooting for their team again.

If the Pakistani team is prone to controversies, then the average Pakistani fan has also evolved to cope with them also. What Ijaz Butt needs to realize is, he should not go all gung ho in the defense of the team and end up shooting Pakistan in the foot. What it looks like to me (and I hope I am wrong) is that in a desperate attempt to strike back, this cricketing administration led by Butt has attacked the closest thing they could find. And that sadly was the helping hand of the ECB. We have to remember that ECB stood by us when rarely anyone did. It is sad but now the ECB has even stated that it is unlikely that Pakistan would be welcomed for neutral cricket series again in England.

Now I just hope that Butt has some sort of proof, that he is not wrong, his allegations are not unfounded and there is something to all this. Because if these allegations by our PCB chief turn out to be a load of crap, then Butt has potentially done something far worse than what the accused three have done if they are indeed found guilty of spot fixing.

If the spot fixing allegations are proved true, the players will be banned; we will be embarrassed but cricket would go on and we would be a part of it. But if Ijaz Butt is wrong, we will be on the brink of being alienated from the cricketing world. We are already in a weak situation, the few friends we have left, will be scared to trust us in case our board may turn against them in a fit of rage. Reacting to the allegations by Ijaz Butt the former English cricketer Ian Botham has called for Pakistan to be banned from international cricket. More of such sentiment from the English could follow.

So Ijaz Butt until you have gathered your evidence and can present it alongside your statements please shut it. Let the boys prove themselves on the pitch. Give them the chance to re-win the hearts of this nation. They surely don't need you to do that. Give them the chance, and I believe the cornered tigers will roar again.