Mani must form think tank of ex-cricketers: Miandad

ISLAMABAD: Batting legend Javed Miandad Wednesday said Ehsan Mani, who was the best man to take over the reigns of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), should to form a think tank comprising former cricketers for improving cricket affairs.

Mani, who is also former International Cricket Council (ICC) president, is set to be elected next PCB chairman in the election scheduled for September 4.

Talking to APP, Miandad, who played for Pakistan in Tests and One-Day Internationals between 1975 and 1996, said the think tank should consist of former cricketers who could guide Mani on cricket affairs.

He said Mani was an all-rounder. “Either it was the affairs of the game of cricket or the administrative affairs, he would manage to deal the same very well,” he added.

Miandad, who remained coach of Pakistan cricket team on various occasions, also advised the new PCB boss to induct former Test or first-class cricketers at regional and district levels for the betterment of the game.

A lot of talented former cricketers were sitting idle at their homes, whose expertise should be utilized for developing cricket, he stressed.

Speaking about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2014 to play bilateral series from 2015 to 2023, he said the PCB must tell the ICC that Pakistan would only play Test and ODIs if India honoured the MoU. “It is always India which has not fulfilled its promises,” he added.