ICC slams Blair's "inconsistent" approach

London: International Cricket Council (ICC) chief Ehsan Mani has accused British Prime Minister Tony Blair of attempting to escape scrutiny over his government's policy towards Zimbabwe. Blair faces accusations of pressurising the ICC to make a "political decision" on England's tour of the African nation. "Blair is seeking to divert attention away from his own inaction in dealing with Zimbabwe by attempting to exert inappropriate pressure on an international sporting body to make a political decision," said Mani. Difficult proposition Mani also added that it is difficult to accept the proposition that the ICC should be making a special case for England when not even the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has attempted to argue that it be exempted from its promise to tour Zimbabwe unless it is unsafe to do so. "If England decides to pull out of the tour, scheduled for later this year, the ECB could face a fine of two million pound and a one-year suspension," asserted Mani. Mani also slammed Blair's "inconsistent" approach towards the issue. (AP)