Former Pakistan keeper and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt dies at 85
Written by I Dig SportsThe Pakistan captaincy changed hands several times during his tenure, with Shoaib Malik famously described as "aloof and a loner" in a report, days after he was sacked. After a disastrous tour of Australia, the PCB hit back with huge sanctions against its own players. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned "indefinitely" in 2010, Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan were handed one-year bans, while Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal were put on six-month probations. Yousuf and Younis were back playing Test cricket a few months later.
Butt was replaced by Zaka Ashraf, who is also the current PCB chairman, in 2011.
He played eight Tests for Pakistan, making his debut in Karachi against West Indies in 1959 as a wicketkeeper-batter. His last match came at The Oval against England in 1962. He was the manager of the Pakistan team for a tour of Australia in 1982 and headed the selection committee a couple of times. He also served as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan - the precursor to the PCB - from 1984-88.
PCB management committee chairperson Ashraf said: "On behalf of the PCB, I want to express my deepest condolences on the sad demise of Mr Ijaz Butt.
"I had the privilege of knowing him personally and I have nothing but utmost respect for Mr Butt. I offer my deepest condolences to Ijaz Butt's family and friends, and assure them that he will always be remembered for the contributions he made to Pakistan cricket."