LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani has urged that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should look at Indian government’s interference in the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) matters.
The 75-year-old, in an online interview, cleared that he is not talking to BCCI on bilateral cricket series. “I am not talking to the BCCI about bilateral cricket. It is up to them to speak to us if they have something to say. The ICC constitution says there should be no government interference. So, I think ICC should be talking to them [BCCI],” Mani said.Mani believes that discussions on resuming bilateral cricket exchanges between the two countries cannot start between the boards unless political relations become normal. “Over the years, the PCB has had a number of discussions with the BCCI regarding bilateral cricket.“At this moment I don’t have any intention of playing any T20 league with India. First, they have to sort out the bilateral (political) relations with us, and then we will talk,” he added.India and Pakistan haven’t locked horns in a Test match since the 2007 series when the Men in Green travelled to India for a full series. The two sides have played against each other only in ICC events or Asia Cup.
“I am not talking to the BCCI about bilateral cricket. It is up to them to speak to us if they have something to say,” Mani said.He also opened up about the cordial relations that the BCCI and PCB enjoyed during the ’90s when the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya and Madhavrao Scindia were at the helm of the apex cricketing body in India. He said that he was surprised at how the relationship had deteriorated in recent times.