Pawar needs to be transparent: Former ICC chief Mani

Former World Body Chief Ehsan Mani says credibility is the most important requirement to hold the president's office and advises Pawar to deal with theu00a0IPL controversy quickly

The latest Indian Premier League controversy has come at the most inappropriate time for Sharad Pawar. Just a few days before he takes over as the International Cricket Council president, reports of the former Indian Board president having a stake in one of the bidders for an IPL cricket team, has acted as a dampener.

It looks like the ghost of IPL controversy will not allow the Maratha strongman from having a smooth takeover as the ICC chief.

Clear statement
To avoid his position in the ICC from getting undermined, former ICC president Ehsan Mani advised Pawar to clear his name quickly of any wrongdoings. "BCCI should take the lead in this issue and make a clear statement of the facts, and they should stick by it till the end. Otherwise, it will undermine Pawar's position as president of the ICC. First, he was saying he didn't having anything to do with the IPL auction. Now, it has come out that there was an indirect involvement," the London-based Mani told MiD DAY in a telephonic interview.

"It's important that Pawar deals with it quickly, clearly and in a transparent manner," said Mani, who was the ICC president from 2003 to 2006.

Union agriculture minister Pawar and his Parliamentarian daughter Supriya Sule reportedly have 16 per cent stake in the Pune-based City Corporation holding, a company that made a failed bid for Pune's IPL team. Pawar, however, denied he, his wife and daughter were involved in any IPL team or the bidding process.

Responsibility
Underlining the responsibilities of the ICC president, Mani said credibility was most important as Pawar is going to be the face of world cricket. "You are going to represent world cricket... over a 100 countries; you will be the face of cricket, representing two billion cricket lovers. You can't lack credibility. The game is above all this.

The game can't be dragged to your level. Pawar should deal with it openly and there should be no cover up.

Whatever is the truth should be laid on the table," said Mani.

"Pawar is familiar with cricket administration and would not want to have this hanging over his head when he takes over as the ICC head," said Mani, who is a Chartered Accountant by profession.

The negative side of being a heavyweight politician is that you invariably have controversies chasing you. In this context, is it a good idea to have a big name politician heading the ICC?u00a0 "There is nothing wrong with having a politician as the head of the ICC. Even Lord MacLaurin (former head of the England and Wales Cricket Board) is a member of the House of Lord's," said Mani.