London: An ugly altercation between Pakistani fast bowler Wahab Riaz and England batsman Jonathan Trott threatened to spoil cricketing ties between the two countries, reports the Mumbai newspaper DNA.
The report says, the two players grabbed each other by the throat amid continuing tension over match-fixing allegations. The incident took place a day after Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ijaz Butt said England players deliberately threw the third one-day international at the Oval.
Riaz, who was questioned by the Scotland Yard for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal, was walking past Trott during a training session when the England batsman reportedly taunted him. "How much are you going to make from the bookies today?" Trott reportedly asked Riaz.
An enraged Riaz reacted with a comment against Trott's family. The two players then threw their pads at each other before grabbing each other by the throat in public view. The squabbling pair had to be separated by England batting coach Graham Gooch, who pushed Trott away and put an arm around Riaz. Match referee Jeff Crowe summoned both the players to the MCC office along with England coach Andy Flower and his Pakistani counterpart Waqar Younis.
Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi said his team could have filed a police complaint against Trott. "It could have been a police case because it is crime to hit someone, but we showed a big heart and did not press for it," he said. Trott was also involved in an ugly war of words with Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal during the first one-day international on September 10.
The English selectors were preparing to choose a second team if the main squad refused to play Monday's fourth match against Pakistan at Lord's. However, such a possibility was averted at the last minute. Butt's comments have angered the English players so much that they threatened to boycott the remaining matches. They later relented and agreed to play. "Feelings have been high for the last 24 hours and we're not hiding that fact," said ECB CEO David Collier. "There were strong feelings caused by the comments (from Butt) and that is bound to spill over. It is a closed matter."
