ECB ponder legal action after Butt claims

THE England and Wales Cricket board have threatened Ijaz Butt with legal action after he claimed that English players received “huge amounts of money” to lose the third one-day international against Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Butt told Indian broadcaster NDTV that he had heard information from bookmakers that England had taken bribes to lose at the Oval three days ago.

The claims brought strong condemnation from England skipper Andrew Strauss, who described his “dismay and outrage” at Butt’s comments in a strongly-worded statement issued shortly before the fourth ODI began at Lord’s yesterday, which Pakistan won.