Lorgat confident in Pakistan task force

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, believes the current frost in the PCB's relations with the ICC and ECB should not affect the work of the ICC task force - headed by ECB chairman Giles Clarke - in charge of bringing international cricket back to Pakistan.

In the fallout of the spot-fixing allegations that marred this summer's tour of England by Pakistan, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, hit out at both the ICC and the ECB in a bizarre outburst last week, claiming that there had been "a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan."

The ECB, who helped arrange four neutral internationals between Pakistan and Australia in England this summer, responded by threatening legal action against Butt, unless an apology was tendered. Butt is now in the UK where he is scheduled to meet Clarke.

Officials familiar with the work of the task force had hinted that the ongoing work of the body - which includes, among much else, efforts to bring an international XI to Pakistan - was in danger of being affected by the spat.

"We all want to be mature and be above some of the issues that are going on," Lorgat said in a teleconference. "I've talked to Giles Clarke and he remains chairman of the Pakistan's task team and he is still as interested as I am in terms of helping Pakistan in any way possible to ensure they enjoy their place in international cricket.

Lorgat did maintain, however, that the public manner of Butt's allegations - in which he said there was "loud and clear talk in bookie circles that England's players had taken enormous amounts of money" - was wrong.

"We have followed up with a letter to Mr. Butt because it indicates he might have information or evidence that we are interested in and we are waiting a response," Lorgat said. "I would have been much more satisfied had it been a direct approach to us or ACSU inspectors."

One of the targets of Butt's wide-ranging attack was the ICC itself. In some reports Butt also called for the removal of Lorgat, indicating that he might table such a resolution at the next ICC meeting in Dubai in mid-October. Lorgat insisted, however, that his relationship with Butt was "very good."

"I am able to separate and all of us should," he said. "The game is bigger than any individual and I would not want to hold Pakistan cricketers responsible for what you might consider a poor relationship between two individuals and there is none. Whoever the person is in the board I am prepared to work with him.

"I met with Mr. Butt a few weeks ago and I will continue to meet him to inform him what I believe is right what I think he should be doing. He will take responsibility for leading the PCB and for his own actions, but I will continue to work with him."

Several prominent voices, including Ian Botham and Nasser Hussain, have called for Pakistan to be given a break from international cricket. But Lorgat said this wasn't in the ICC plans at all. "I think we have got to separate what a few individuals, if proved, might be guilty on and certainly if that is the case I don't believe the entire team or the indeed the entire nation should be held responsible," he said.

"There are other provisions within the ICC that allows suspension of members but that is certainly not something we are contemplating. In fact I've seen confirmation South Africa continuing their series [against Pakistan] later this year and I know New Zealand are also confirming their FTP commitment quite soon."