BCCI hits back at PCB chief Ehsan Mani for his remarks on visa assurance for T20 World Cup

The BCCI is reportedly not happy with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani’s demand for a visa assurance ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup. Ahead of the marquee event in India, Mani has asked for an assurance from the BCCI that not only the Pakistan players but also the journalists as well as fans would get visa.

The present bilateral relation between India and Pakistan are at an all time low and its impact has been huge on cricket. The arch-rivals have not played a full-bilateral series since 2007. The last bilateral series between them took place in 2012 when Pakistan visited India for a short limited-overs tour. Since then, India and Pakistan have only met in ICC tournaments and Asia Cup.

Given the poor relations between the two nations, Mani stated that PCB wanted assurance from the BCCI. Speaking to the journalists last month, Mani said the PCB had told the ICC they needed the assurance from India by the end of March or they would push for venue shifting.

“We are not seeking written assurance for the visas of the national team only, but for the fans, officials and journalists as well. We have told the ICC that India should give written assurances by the end of March so that we know where we stand or we will push for the relocation of the World Cup from India to UAE,” Mani had told reporters.

BCCI hits back at Ehsan Mani:

The BCCI has hit back at Ehsan Mani over his remarks and called his comments immature. Speaking to reporters, a BCCI official stated that the Indian government has already made its policy clear when it comes to handing visas to players for international sporting events. The official said that the remarks were more surprising because of Mani’s ‘wonderful’ relationship with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

“It was surprising to read Ehsan Mani’s comments, especially in the background of the wonderful working relationship that he shares with Sourav Ganguly (BCCI President) at the ICC. He is a gentleman and had in fact been a guide for Sourav during the pandemic along with Shashank (Manohar). One can’t help but think that it is very immature of Mani to give a statement like this,” the official said.

“It is almost as if he is either desperately looking for a way out of his team playing in the tournament or he is grandstanding for some constituency back home. If they want to make it a political issue, it is of course their own wish. They do know that a cricket board of a country has absolutely no locus standi to give any assurance on an issue, which is not in their purview and is firmly in the decision-making sphere of the government,” the official added.