India will host the T20 World Cup later this year. Regarding this, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani told the ICC that he needed a visa guarantee from the Indian side or else the tournament should be shifted to UAE. An official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) termed Mani's statement as immature.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, the BCCI official said that Mani's statement is shocking. Knowing all the policies, they are politicizing the matter. The Central Government has already formulated a policy that all players and staff coming to India for any sports tournament will be given visas immediately.
"The statement of Ehsaan Mani is shocking, as he has said several times behind the ICC about the good relationship between the two countries with Sourav Ganguly (BCCI President). During the Corona pandemic, Sourav and former ICC chairman Shashank Manohar have helped him a lot. His statement is quite immature."
The BCCI official said, "It seems that they do not want to play the tournament, probably only because they are talking like this. If they want to make it a political issue, it is their choice. They are well aware that it is not in the right of any cricket board to guarantee visas. It is the government of that country that decides. What would be the next step in this matter? Will the ICC play a role like the United Nations in this case? Or will Pakistan be able to play the tournament only after imposing it on the terrorists in their home? The board does not know all this."
He said, "However, the Indian government has already clarified its stance on granting visas to the players. All players are also aware of this. I believe that Mani should try to improve the relationship between the two countries and not deepen the gap between the two countries."
What Ehsan Mani Had Said:
Recently, Ehsan Mani said, "Our government never asked us not to play there (in India). We are ready to go anywhere to play as per ICC rules. We do not want to violate the rules. According to the ICC agreement, we want written assurance from the Government of India about the visa of our team and staff. Fans, journalists will also have to give visas. Mani asked India to give a guarantee in writing for the visa by March."
"The ICC told us that we would get this written assurance by December 2020, but it could not happen. After this, we again spoke directly to the ICC Chairman in January and February. We have also made it clear to the ICC management that we need assurance in writing by March. If it does not, we will demand to shift the tournament from India to UAE."