PCB chief Ehsan Mani had shared his view on visa assurance for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. However, his comments didn’t go well with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The “visa assurance” has been the talking point for a while. Pakistan Cricket Board head Ehsan Mani had boldly expressed his opinion about the matter but BCCI was not impressed.
Ehsan Mani had asked for an assurance from the Indian cricket board that not only the Pakistan players but also the journalists and the fans would get the visa. It is cognisance of the fact that the current relationship between India and Pakistan has already gone from bad to worse.
Meanwhile, Mani added that PCB wanted assurance from the richest cricket body. He highlighted that PCB had told the ICC they needed the assurance from India by the end of March else 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 lashes out at Ehsan Mani
Meanwhile, the BCCI has launched a scathing attack at Ehsan Mani over his recent comments. A senior BCCI official on the conditions of anonymity labelled Ehsan Mani’s comments as “immature”. While addressing the reports, a top BCCI official conceded that the Indian government already made its stance very clear when it comes to handing visas to players for international sporting games.
“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 stand 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.
