Former ICC chief Mani blames PCB for current mess

Karachi:

Former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani on Saturday said there is a clear trust deficit between the ICC and the PCB.

Mani, expressing disappointment over the alleged involvement of Pakistani players in spot fixing, said the PCB had failed to read and handle the situation correctly.

"If the PCB themselves had taken action against the players when these allegations first came up I don't think the ICC would have come into the picture like this. Now the whole issue is out of PCB's hands and the players are suffering," Mani said.

Mani also felt that the PCB should have taken the ICC into confidence and keep briefing them on allegations against the Pakistani players from the start.

"Now until the ICC completes its investigations and Scotland Yard also ends its inquiry the PCB has no concrete role to play in this entire issue," he said.

The former ICC chief also expressed surprise at the way the PCB management took the tour of England.

"Historically it is a known fact that the Pakistan team is always subjected to lot of media pressure in England. The board has not even sent a media manager with the team on such a sensitive tour.

"The board should have done its homework properly and should have been prepared to deal with the media pressure in England," Mani said.

He also pointed out that the players cannot be punished unless the allegations were proved. "But surely all this has damaged Pakistan cricket a lot. Already the damage has been done," Mani said.

"I just hope these allegations are just allegations and then I would expect the PCB to review its entire policy on relations with the ICC," he added.

Mani also made it clear that Pakistan cricket could never move forward with just one man ruling the show.