t may not be an exaggeration to say that Ijaz Butt – who passed away in Lahore on August 3 – had one of the most difficult tenures as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. It was a virtual roller coaster ride.

Butt faced some highly unusual and extremely challenging situations during his tenure as PCB chairman. These included a terrorist attack on a visiting Sri Lankan cricket team, a spot-fixing scandal involving the national team and domestic problems.

In spite of all these problems, the PCB under Ijaz Butt managed to ensure Pakistani participation in international events, even restore credibility. In 2009, a team led by Younis Khan won the ICC T20 World Cup.

Born in Sialkot in 1938, Butt made his international debut in Karachi against West Indies in 1959 as a wicketkeeper-batsman, scoring 41 not out as an opener in a ten-wicket win. He went on to represent Pakistan in eight Test matches. His last appearance for Pakistan was at the Oval cricket ground against England in 1962.

Butt scored 279 runs in 8 Test matches, with a batting average of 19.92.

He was considered a dependable batsman and a skilled and capable wicketkeeper. His highest score in an inning at Test level was 58.

The former chairman had an impressive record in first class cricket, scoring 3,842 runs in 120 innings. His highest score in an innings at this level was 161. He had seven hundreds and twelve fifties to his credit with a decent batting average of 34.30. Butt played a total of 67 first-class matches and took 52 catches behind the stumps.

In 1982, Butt was the manager of the Pakistan cricket team during their tour to Australia. He also served as chairman of Selection Committee for a couple of terms. From 1984 to 1988, he was the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan. Muhammad Ijaz Butt was also the president of the Lahore City Cricket Association for several years. In 2011, he was replaced as PCB chief by Zaka Ashraf, the current incumbent.

Ashraf and the PCB have expressed sorrow and offered condolences on the sad demise. Ashraf has said he had always held Butt in high regard.

In times of chaos for Pakistan cricket, Butt kept the sport alive. He also managed to achieve a few successes despite facing tough challenges.

Butt was first appointed PCB chairman in 2008, at the age of 70, following the resignation of Dr Nasim Ashraf.

Within a few months, Butt and Pakistan cricket suffered a massive setback when a terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team and match officials resulted in eight casualties. For almost a decade thereafter no international team would visit Pakistan.

Another low for Pakistan cricket on his watch was the spot-fixing scandal that came to light during Pakistan’s 2010 tour of England. It involved three Pakistani players, Salman Butt, the then-captain, and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.

The three players were prosecuted, convicted and served jail terms. They also received long bans. Relations between Pakistan Cricket Board and the England Cricket Board also suffered.

Kamran Abbasi, the writer and broadcaster, criticised Butt in one of his articles in 2013, writing, “Ijaz Butt is a miracle man. It’s a miracle that he has survived so long. A greater miracle is that Pakistan cricket has survived him.“ Former cricketer and later PCB chairman Ramiz Hassan Raja, too, openly criticised Butt’s methods. Raja also said Butt’s statements during Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2010, after the team lost all Test and ODI matches, were unnecessary and unhelpful.

However, one of the difficult decisions made by Ijaz Butt has been lauded even by his critics as a master stroke: the appointment of Misbah-ul-Haq as Test captain in 2010 following the humiliation of the spot-fixing scandal. For the next seven years, Haq admirably led a team that needed rebuilding. He also went on to become the most successful Test captain for Pakistan.

Many former international cricketers have paid tributes to Ijaz Butt. Several have pointed out that he worked hard to make cricket affairs transparent and that he always encouraged those willing to help improve the cricket infrastructure and institutions in the country. As PCB chairman, his role in breaking the so-called players’ power was crucial.

In times of chaos for Pakistan cricket, Butt kept the sport alive. He also managed to achieve a few successes despite facing tough challenges.

The writer is a freelance contributor