Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ehsan Mani on Friday (February 22) termed Committee of Administrators’ decision to approach the ICC for measures against ‘nations backing terror’ as ‘unfortunate’.
The Supreme Court-appointed committee running Indian cricket has decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan, but urged the ICC and other nations to isolate Pakistan like the way South Africa was ostracised by the world for Apartheid.
In an exclusive chat with Sportstar, Mani said: “It is unfortunate that politics and cricket are mixing. It is never good for any sport.”
The PCB chief also highlighted International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recommendation to not let India host any international events after the Pakistani shooters were not granted visas for the shooting World Cup in New Delhi.
“You have seen how the IOC has reacted to this as far as shooters are concerned. I guess it is important that we learn to keep sports and politics separate,” Mani said.
“Let’s paraphrase what Mr Nelson Mandela had once said, ‘the voice (of sports) is far reaching than any politician’. Sports has its own role to play. Politics has its own issues. The two should not mix,” he added.
Mani also revealed that the PCB is yet to hear anything from the ICC or BCCI.
“Why should we receive a letter? Of course, we haven’t received any letter. I will not comment anything on that. Let the BCCI or the ICC decide anything, then only we can discuss about our plan of action,” he said.
When asked about Pakistan’s move prior to the World Cup, Mani said: “It is not the right time to comment on that. We will see how things go and then decide.”
Earlier, CoA chief Vinod Rai told reporters that the board will send a letter to ICC asking the cricketing community to break ties with “nations from where terror emanates”.
Commenting on Rai’s statement, Mani said: “You have to talk to the ICC about that. I won’t comment on what Mr Rai has said. We will discuss our plan of action if we hear anything from the ICC. As of now, there has been no communication.”
In the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack, the cricketing ties have been hit with uncertainty looming over the high-profile Indo-Pak clash at the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is slated to be held in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14, while India and Pakistan are due to face each other on June 16 in Manchester.
(With inputs from Sportstar)
