The England and Wales Cricket Board has demanded a full and unreserved apology from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt for his allegations that England players had engaged in match-fixing.
The ECB says Butt has been advised that if a satisfactory response is not received, legal proceedings will be commenced against him without further notice.
The threat follows comments by Butt that there had been loud and clear talk in bookies' circles that some English players were paid enormous amounts of money to lose the match.
His comments came after the International Cricket Council said it was launching an inquiry into Pakistan's scoring pattern at the Oval after receiving information from a British newspaper.
Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and his team-mates Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif had been suspended after an investigation into a newspaper report that they had arranged for no-balls to be deliberately delivered in the fourth Test at Lord's.
