Mani vows for increased transparency in PCB and PSL

Newly elected Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani has vowed to increase transparency and accountability within Pakistan cricket.

Speaking in his first press conference after chairman elections, Mani said that he will first be putting himself up for scrutiny before publishing the accounts on the PCB website within a month for the public to see.

Taking the responsibility upon himself, Mani said that nothing will be hidden from the media and a fully functional media department will serve as a channel to access information.

“Whatever we do, will be transparent including all the decisions and all the financial matters. It will not only be available to the journalists and stakeholders but also to the general public as they are the biggest stakeholders of Pakistan cricket,” he said.

When questioned about monetary inconsistencies within the PSL, Mani added: “The PCB and the PSL will be subjected to an audit of their last 3 years. Corruption found at any stage of the audit will not be pardoned and sincere efforts will be made to return stolen money.”

Mani reassuring stated that the governing board consists of capable individuals whose experiences will be used to for the betterment of Pakistani cricket while he also hinted at a change in the constitution of the board.

“We will look to make changes to the constitution of the board as there is a conflict of interest,” he said. “The chairman and the chief executive of the board is the same person. A chairman has to monitor and ensure that the policies and strategies are being implemented by the chief executive.”

Mani also stressed on the importance of improved relations with India but he clearly stated that he won’t request Indian team to play with them due to the contradictory nature of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) policy in the past.

“We want to build relationship with India again. I had never said that Pakistan's case against the BCCI in the ICC was on weak grounds. I had said that there are two ways to solve an issue. The first is to sit on a table and discuss it out. The second is to take a legal action,” he said. “But... I can tell you I will not request India to play with us. Their own policy has been contradictory, as they are always ready to play in multi-nation tournaments like the Asia Cup and the World Cup but renege on bilateral arrangements. So I never understood their positions and the basis of their policy. Even when I was at the ICC, they used to threaten to pull out from ICC tournaments.”

The PCB chairman also said that it is better interest of Pakistan cricket that entire Pakistan Super League (PSL) takes place in Pakistan as its going to help in brining international cricket to the country.

“Host the entire PSL in Pakistan as it will increase the brand's value. We will have eight matches of the next PSL edition in Pakistan. It has already been committed to the franchises and we will continue to increase the number of matches to be held in Pakistan,” he said. “Small steps have been taken in the last three years that have helped in confidence building for international players. There will be some who will have reservations to play in Pakistan. But, our aim will be to bring cricket to Pakistan.”