Never look a gift horse in the mouth, Pakistan!

To add insult to injury, not only are Pakistan once again under investigation by the ICC for corruption, but the PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, has accused England of underhand practices. Speaking to an Indian television channel, Butt reportedly claimed that members of the England team had been paid to throw the third ODI. Ridiculous! Such accusations come from a bitter old man, deluded about what is happening right under his nose and seeking to turn recent events into some sort of master plan by the ICC to stop Pakistan playing cricket. Rubbish! Yet, while many will simply see such claims for what they are (nobody seriously believes that England players took bribes to lose the match), they are still a massive insult to the England cricket team and the ECB. Unable to play within their own country, the ECB provided Pakistan with a ‘home away from home’ -a place to stage matches and to try and bring some pride to their nation. Yet, this is how they repay us. Moreover, the England players themselves, have acted with nothing short of dignity. Continuing, this far, in this series must have been very hard indeed. How they will take to the filed today though, in light of the mud unfairly thrown at them, is beyond me.