Manohar ‘fed up’ with PCB’s oscillating statements

BCCI president Shashank Manohar said the Indian board had enough reason to refuse playing against Pakistan even at a neutral venue like UAE.

Manohar said he was “fed up with the statements” made by PCB chairman Shahryar Khan. “Every day he is coming out with different statements. I have made it clear to him that Team India can play against Pakistan only in India. We have our own reasons to decline playing in UAE. We cannot reveal the reason though. As on now, we only want them to come to India for this bilateral series,” he added.

Not only the PCB, but also officials in the UAE have no clue why BCCI doesn’t want to send its team to play in the emirates though IPL matches were conducted there last year.

Mohammed Redha Abbas, the Dubai Cricket Council vice chairman, said: “Only the BCCI can say why they are reluctant to play here. They successfully hosted the IPL matches here and are aware about the facilities available in this country. The safety and security of the players are also known to them.”

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the decision on Pakistan series would be taken in a couple of days. “Wait for a couple of more days,” was the cryptic retort by Thakur.

Asked why the BCCI was not interested in playing in UAE, after conducting the initial phase of the Indian Premier League there in 2014, Thakur kept mum for some time before saying for a bilateral series the participating cricket boards must feel comfortable over the venue.

“For any international event organised by ICC or ACC, it’s up to them to decide which is going to be the venue. For a bilateral series it’s up to the two nations to decide where they are comfortable,” he said.

Meanwhile, the two-member committee formed by the BCCI to probe “Snoopgate” by the previous regime met former secretary Sanjay Patel and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry to delve deeper into the issue.

“They (Ajay Shirke and G. Gangaraju) met today (with Sanjay Patel and Anirudh Chaudhry) and sought certain details. They (Patel and Chaudhry) sought some time to reply with details. It’s (probe) going to take some time (to be completed),” said Thakur.

The matter about BCCI having engaged a British firm to snoop on its members for a consideration reportedly to the tune of $900,000, had come up during the November 9 AGM of the board here, following which it had set up the two-man committee of Shirke and Gangaraju to probe the matter.