PCB Chief Ehsan Mani on Cricket Relations With India: Pakistan Cricket Doesn’t Need India to Survive

Former Pakistan cricketers – Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi might have called for an India-Pakistan series to help raise funds in the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ehsan Mani has made it clear that they don’t need the BCCI to join hands with them. PCB has suffered massive revenue losses but it doesn’t need India to ‘survive’ and keep its finances flowing.

Terming the BCCI ‘unreliable’, Mani said Pakistan cricket is vibrant and strong enough despite not playing any bilateral series with India for long.

“We have suffered losses but they (India) are not in our thinking or planning. It is like a Pie in the Sky situation. We have to live without them and we don’t need them to survive,” he said in a podcast released by the PCB’s media department.

“I am clear if India doesn’t want to play we have to plan without them. Once or twice they have made promises to play against us but pulled out at the last moment,” the former ICC head added.

India had avoided playing Pakistan in a full bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Mani said resumption of bilateral cricketing ties with India in the foreseeable future is uncertain.

“Right now we play against them (India) in ICC events and Asia Cup and that is okay because we are interested in playing cricket.

“We want to keep politics and sports apart,” he said.

Interestingly, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar joked that there are more chances of snowfall in Lahore than there is of an India-Pakistan bilateral series in the near future.

“There are more chances of snowfall in Lahore than bilateral series between India and Pakistan,” said Gavaskar in a Youtube chat with former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja.

(With PTI Inputs)