Cricket being used for political purposes, says former ICC president Ehsan Mani

PTI

New Delhi: No World XI squad could be completed without Indian players, who presently are among the best players in the world. Such was the opinion of former ICC preseident Ehsan Mani who admitted being disappointed on not seeing Indian players taking part in the ongoing T20 series in Pakistan.

In an interview with Indian Express, Ehsan said that he understands that the Men in Blue are presently occupied in a limited oves series but a couple of players who are not involved could have made it to Lahore.

"I’m a little disappointed that there are no players from India. It would have been very nice. I know India is involved in the series against Australia, but it would have been nice to get the Indian players as well. Because you know, at the end of the day the game of cricket binds all of us together. There’s nothing like cricket to bring people together and help build relations between people and countries," said the ex-ICC chief.

"I understand that there’s a series going on in India, so the Indian cricketers can’t participate. But some recently-retired Indian cricketers could have played in this series and there are (also) some Indian players who won’t be featuring in the shorter formats; the series between India and Australia. So there was ample room for some of them to participate (here)," Ehsan added.

"Look, Pakistan and India have been taking part in a lot of events outside full international cricket series. There have been bilateral trade (close to $3 billion) and cultural exchanges. Why is there an embargo on cricket? I think cricket is being used for political purposes, which is wrong," he continued.

With security being the chief concern for all players travelling to Pakistan, Ehsan said that there isn't any real security threat for teams or players willing to play in the country.

"A lot of this security that they (World XI) are getting is over and above of what is required. It’s more to give them the comfort. The reality is that there’s no perceived security threat that one is concerned about. Of course, things can happen anywhere in the world. But in terms of security and the level of comfort (to touring teams), Pakistan is capable of holding international matches," he said.