Pakistan faces isolation, ex-ICC chief warns

[Kumar]

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AFP: Pakistan faces isolation, ex-ICC chief warns

Pakistan faces isolation, ex-ICC chief warns
1 hour ago
KARACHI (AFP) — Pakistan risks being the pariah of the cricket world unless it addresses security fears that have prompted foreign teams to cancel tours here, the former chief of the game's governing body said Tuesday.
The comments from former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani came after India announced it would not tour Pakistan next month amid tense relations between the neighbours in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
"What I fear is that Pakistan is being pushed to the brink of isolation and Pakistan will have to do something about it," Mani told local media.
Pakistan has been a virtual no-go zone for foreign teams since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which sparked major security fears for teams concerned about suicide and other attacks.
The cancellation of India's tour was the third major cricket event called off here this year, after Australia refused to tour in March and the ICC postponed the elite eight-nation Champions Trophy set for August until 2009.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) convinced Sri Lanka to replace India for a series, but current ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said Monday a security team would visit Pakistan to ensure the safety of match officials.
Mani, who served as ICC chief from 2003 to 2006, said Pakistan had become too reliant on India for cricket events, and should improve its ties with other top Test nations.
"It's time that the PCB comes out with an effective strategy. It will have to consolidate relations with other Test-playing nations," he said.
"The PCB, in spite of my repeated warnings, started relying heavily on India in the last three years. And look what India did to Pakistan? They just let us down," said Mani.
"We have been doing everything to please them," he added, referring to the PCB's decision to ban about 20 players who competed in the Indian Cricket League, which is not recognised by the Indian cricket board or the ICC.

[roadrunner]

For sure Pakistan should not accept abu dhabi as "home venues".

Pakistan needs th money from these sales itself within Pakistan.

If teams do not tour Pakistan, then there's nothing Pakistan can do about it.

It's their choice, Pakistan has done its best.

[Awesome]

We should go the ICL way and build our own league. Slowly get other countries to participate, and so on.

[Al-zakir]

Man it's not fair. Hypocrites bastards......How come they are touring india after mumbai Massacre.......

[Kumar]

We should go the ICL way and build our own league. Slowly get other countries to participate, and so on.

You meant Iran ?

[SherdiL!]

You meant Iran ?

he meant PCL

[IceCold]

Indeed hypocrisy is at best. If the english team had cancelled the tour of India after the recent attacks, we would have understood that there is a security concern for them not only in Pakistan but in India as well, now that they havent, it is pretty evident that security was never an issue at the first place. This all shows how biased they really are. However like RR said, Pakistan cant do much if teams dont want to tour Pakistan.

[digitaltiger]

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Team,

I Think the Asian cricket board’s shares a good repot among them selves and BCCI was in favor of touring Pakistan, but due to GOI pressure the tour was called off. BCCI or any cricket board in the world could not neglect Governments of their respective countries obviously. But I am sure that as soon as these crap tensions goes off India will be the first country to tour Pakistan, and this time the charisma (read hypertension ) of a India Pakistan Cricket match which was fading away fast will be back with a bang.