Politics should not be mixed with Cricket: ICC President

Shiv Sena workers protest against Pakistan cricket Board’s chief Shahryar Khan

With drama taking place in the BCCI office in Mumbai, ICC President Zaheer Abbas has openly condemned the involvement of political parties in cricket.

Abbas who is also a former Pakistan cricketer, told Pakistani TV channels, “It’s not a new thing. It’s has happened before also. But being the President of the ICC, I want cricket to spread all around the world.”

“Politics and cricket are totally different and should be kept as so. Pakistan is not asking India to play in Pakistan. Pakistan is asking for a bilateral series to be played at a neutral venue,” he added.

He also said how the world is awaiting a cricket series between the arch rivals for a long time now. “There is nothing better than India playing Pakistan in a cricket match. The whole world and the people of both India and Pakistan are waiting for such a series. The world expects India to show a positive sign to such an initiative,” said Abbas, who is one of the finest batsmen ever produced in Pakistan.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena workers stormed the BCCI office to protest against a bilateral series between India and Pakistan slated for December. Discussions that were supposed to take place between newly appointed President of BCCI and his Pakistan counterpart regarding the series, was disrupted by the Sena workers.

The Sena activists had barged into the BCCI office, chanting slogans against Pakistan Cricket Board chief Khan and mobbed BCCI president Shashank Manohar’s desk stating, that they will not allow any cricketing ties with the neighboring country. They also reportedly shouted anti-Pakistan slogans.

The activists were later taken away by the police.

Manohar had invited Khan for talks on the cricket series scheduled in December. Khan and PCB’s executive committee head Najam Sethi were in the city for the meeting after discussing the planned series with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur earlier during of the ICC meeting in Dubai.

Thakur had assured him a final decision could be taken later this month and conveyed Manohar’s invitation to visit India. According to some speculations, the series would either be held in UAE or it could be converted into a triangular series in December also involving Bangladesh.

After the demise of former BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya, Manohar was elected as his successor by the Board members unanimously last month.