The time may come to remove Pakistan
There may come a point sometime soon when temporarily removing Pakistan from world cricket may be the only way to preserve the game's dignity
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
There may come a point sometime soon when temporarily removing Pakistan from world cricket may be the only way to preserve the game's dignity. It hasn't come quite yet, because everyone is innocent until proven guilty, writes Nasser Hussain in the Daily Mail.
I've generally agreed with Imran Khan on this: You can't kick out a team just because of two or three bad apples. But we're seeing now what happens when accusations are bandied around with no thought for their consequences. Would Jonathan Trott and Wahab Riaz have had their dust-up before the start of play yesterday if Butt hadn't accused England of throwing the Oval one-dayer? Possibly.
But it's no surprise that tempers are fraying at the end of a summer in which England have had to put up with so much.
In the Daily Telegraph, Derek Pringle says, "Charity and sympathy are deserved by the millions ruined and damaged by the monsoon floodwaters, but Pakistan cricket is rapidly becoming a monster only a mother could love."
Claiming the world is against them is how the ruling class there operate. I have visited Pakistan four times and always found it a beguiling place. The resilience of the people (England's 2005 tour came just a few days after the Kashmir earthquake) and their friendly hospitality have always been memorable features of the place, but they do not deserve the leaders they get, including in this instance Mr Butt.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo