 The already tense atmosphere within the Asian Bloc post ICC's decision to strip
Pakistan from co-hosting the 2011 World Cup took an even uglier turn. Former
ICC President, Ehsan Mani came out with statements that his country could
have been manoeuvred out of its hosting rights due to a split within the Asian
Bloc led by India. He also criticized the ICC for its inability to look for viable
solutions.
Mani is widely thought to be the person who's been the major guiding force
behind the PCB in its legal battle with the ICC. However, he's advised
his country's officials to keep 'back-channel communications' open with the
ICC throughout the process. The former ICC Chief said that fears that the subcontinent
could lose the World Cup altogether could have prompted the split to happen
within the strong Asian Bloc, something that in his words had not happened in
his 20 years of association with the game. Mani conceded that relations between
the ICC and the PCB were 'not good' and said that his Board should have been
given a chance of presenting its case. In his opinion, in the end Pakistan was
left with no other choice other than to adopt the legal route.
In a separate development, former West India legends, Sir Gary Sobers
and Sir Vivian Richards threw their weight behind Test cricket and said
that the longest format of the game was still the pinnacle. Viv Richards was
particularly harsh in his comments on Gayle as he said that the captain's recent
statements on Test cricket were tantamount to a "total betrayal of the
game that raised him". He said that Gayle must remember that he was first
noticed due to the success that he'd achieved in Test cricket and not in any
other form of the game. Sobers, while maintaining that he couldn't relate to
the cash versus country debate also supported the statements of Richards and
hoped that Test cricket would still be considered as the most revered format
of the game. Gayle had come under severe criticism for his decision to extend
his IPL stay in South Africa and land in England just 2 days prior to the 1st
Test. Additionally, he'd made comments in the press wherein he stated that he
wouldn't particularly mind if Test cricket were to die as a result of the growing
popularity of T20.
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