Former ICC president Ehsan Mani worried about Indo-Pak ties

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier in November filed a notice of dispute against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after the latter failed to honor an agreement signed in 2014 to play bilateral series. The PCB has also demanded compensation after allegedly incurring losses of up to $70 million from the failure of the BCCI to play two series, in November 2014 and December 2015. An independent ICC committee will sit on Pakistan’s claims to scrutinize and resolve it.

However, former ICC President Ehsan Mani feels that PCB’s decision to file a compensation claim will only lead to bad blood and dampen future cricket relations between the two nations. Mani, who served as ICC President between 2003-2006, also doesn’t look optimistic and opined even if Pakistan won its compensation claim what guarantee is there India would agree to pay out the amount.

Speaking on Geo Super channel, Mani said, “I have concerns about the consequences of this case whatever its outcome. What I am concerned about is the effect it is going to have on cricket relations between the two countries in the long run. I just think all avenues of talks, discussions and backdoor diplomacy were not explored by the PCB before going ahead with its compensation claim in the ICC.”

He added, “I would have waited and first exhausted all options of trying to get something out of India for them not playing bilateral ties with Pakistan before opting for the compensation claim option.”

N Srinivasan – Anti-Pakistani?

Mani also said that the former BCCI president and ICC Chairman N Srinivasan had a significant role to play in India not resuming bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan, “He was not good news when he was there at helm of affairs. He was anti-Pakistan and in his tenure all chances of India taking initiative to get government clearance to play regular bilateral cricket with Pakistan were non-existent.”