ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Former International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani believes Pakistan should refuse to play India in the 2016 Twenty-20 World Cup saying there is no need to compromise with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Mani said Pakistan can do four things which can cause problems for ICC and BCCI. “Usually Pakistan and India are placed in 1 group in ICC tournaments, because ICC and Broadcasters wants to maximize their revenue.
So if Pakistan tells ICC that they want different group from India and they will not play India in any group matches,” he said while talking to a private news channel.
Mani said Pakistan should tell the ICC that we are revising our position on the Big-3 issue as India has backed off of their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and we want to discuss this profit sharing issue once again.
“ICC discourages political involvement in the matters of cricket boards but the new BCCI chairman was elected only because he had BJP support. “SO PCB should take this matter to the ICC too,” he said.
Mani said PCB should tell ICC that most of the board officials of BCCI are politicians, especially their secretary Anurag Thakur and Rajiv Shukla and should ask BCCI whether these officials are issuing statements as politicians or as BCCI officials?
“No need to compromise with BCCI for short series as Pakistan Cricket can survive without India. After IPL scandal N. Srinivasan was elected as Chairman of ICC because of morally dishonest conduct of England and Australia,” he said.
Mani said PCB has signed an agreement with ICC to play in ICC events so they shouldn’t boycott T20 WC but they can refuse to play India in those tournaments.
“Groups are not made on the basis of rankings, ICC makes groups purely on commercial basis” “I have managed few ICC tournaments myself and I know Pakistan is under no obligation to be in the same group with India,” he said.
Mani said we should take a very clear line on this issue (Indo-Pak Series) in fact we shouldn’t pursue India at all. “When I was ICC President, I had worked out the Indian mindset, which was, if you remain strong and firm with Indian but fair and they will cooperate with you. But if you show them a little bit of leniency they will take full advantage of your weakness,” he said.
Mani said Indo-Pak series is a part of that MOU which PCB signed on the sidelines of Big-3 issue and PCB representative at that time told all of us that it is not Big-3, its Big-4 now. However Mani said one should ask Najam Sethi regarding legality of MOU with India.
APP
