"(Need to) have enough info on T10 League before we allow our players to play in it" : Ehsan Mani

[Abdullah719]

"(Need to) have enough info on T10 League before we allow our players to play in it" : Ehsan Mani

DUBAI: New Pakistan cricket chief Ehsan Mani said on Saturday his board would review their stance on global leagues and seek assurances from the game's governing body.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this year restricted its players' participation to one league other than their own Pakistan Super League to reduce their workload.

The mushrooming of the leagues has also endangered the future of the traditional five-day game with some players giving up red-ball cricket to enure maximum earnings through Twenty20 and T10 (ten overs a side game) leagues.

Despite criticism, PCB released 10 of its highest-paid contracted players to participate in the T10 league, held in Sharjah last year, including the current captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir.

The league was a big hit and will be extended to eight teams from six and will be held from November 23 to December 2 this year.

But Mani, speaking at the Asia Cup, said his board will seek assurances from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"I didn't understand the rationale on what basis we committed our players for the leagues," Mani told reporters. "The main criteria, which I understand, was that how much money PCB gets and how much players will get.

"But they (the previous set up of the PCB) did not look at the players' workload. So I will examine all the leagues in which Pakistan players participates.

"We need to do the due diligence in whichever leagues we are participating whether they are credible or not."

Mani said he has asked the ICC to give assurance of the fairness of the leagues.

"I am holding back my position (on T10) until I get full satisfaction... so I have requested the ICC to look into it again.

"I need assurances from the ICC because they have sanctioned it."

The lucrative Indian Premier League was rocked in 2013 over match-fixing allegations, resulting in a two-year ban on two franchises and a life ban on international player Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

The same year Bangladesh Premier League was hit by fixing scandal, with seven players charged.

Pakistan's own PSL -- held in the United Arab Emirates since 2016 -- was rocked by spot-fixing scandals in its second year that resulted in five-year bans for openers Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ket-leagues/articleshow/65915705.cms?from=mdr

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Organisers of the T10 League are expanding plans for their second season, despite the resignation of the competition’s president and a reported investigation into the title sponsor.

Salman Iqbal, the former T10 president and part-owner, stepped down on Wednesday, citing a “lack of transparency, unprofessionalism” and a lack of structure for his decision.

Further to that, it had been reported in India that Heera, T10’s major sponsor, were under investigation by the ministry of corporate affairs for an alleged Ponzi scheme.

Within 24 hours, though, Shaji Ul Mulk, the T10 owner and chairman, had responded by calling a press conference to announce a global talent hunt ahead of the new season, headed up by former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram and former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin.

Despite the difficulties of recent days, Ul Mulk said it was business as usual ahead of the second season of T10, which is due to start on November 23.

“The second season of the T10 League is boosted by the formal recognition of the ICC,” Ul Mulk said. “The interest shown by the stakeholders encourages us to take the tournament to a whole new level this year.

“We have now set up a central secretariat and revamped the organisational structure to organise the T10 League that will match the fanfare seen only at global sporting events.

“This year’s T10 League will help expand and popularise the game of cricket further.”

England captain Eoin Morgan led Kerala Kings to the first T10 League title last year, in a competition that also involved highly-respected international players like Sarfraz Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan and Misbah-ul-Haq.

Since then, three extra teams have been added to the competition, with the side that had represented Sri Lanka dropping out.

Shane Watson was recently unveiled as the lead recruit of one of the new teams, while Stephen Fleming, former New Zealand captain, will be involved as a coach.

Despite the impressive list of personnel involved, Iqbal cast doubt over what he called an “unsupervised” league as he stepped down this week.

"It is obvious that the league is heading in wrong direction,” Iqbal, a media magnate who also owns the Karachi Kings franchise in the Pakistan Super League, wrote in his resignation statement.

“We cannot allow Pakistani players to be misused for vested interests of foreign individuals.

“Proper systems and monitoring should be in place and controlled by ICC, which safeguards all players and sanctity of the game. I believe it is better for me to part ways with an unsupervised T10 league."

Ul Mulk responded to that immediately on social media, saying: “On behalf of T10 cricket league management, we categorically reject and dismiss the recent allegations made by one of our ex-management members. Our legal team will be taking an appropriate action.”

Ul Mulk also responded to the suggestion by Iqbal that Pakistan players should avoid the league. He said that T10 retains the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board, despite the recent changes at the top of that administration.

“Our relationship is at board level, and we do not see any challenges with the new set up,” Ul Mulk said.

“The league is an ICC sanctioned league, has the support of almost all the boards in the world – including the Pakistan Cricket Board. We have enjoyed that support and will continue doing so.”

Of the report relating to Heera, Ul Mulk said: “The investigation in India is news to us. The Heera group are our sponsors. If there has been an allegation made against them, we will follow that.”

The league’s owner was keen to focus on the ambitious plan to discover new unknown players good enough to play in a league that is just two months away.

“This is the first league to start a global talent hunt,” Wasim Akram said. “We are starting off in two big cricket nations, Pakistan and India. In India and Pakistan, there are so many kids who play cricket, but only 11 to 16 players get picked up by their countries.

“In this league, they will get to play with or against, the modern greats, get to know their skills and mindsets, and at the end of it there is the chance to play for UAE if they want to.”


https://www.google.com.bh/amp/s/amp...esignation-and-alleged-investigation-1.772435

 

[SensiblePakFan]

The PCB will not allow their players to participate in this year's T10 League unless the board is satisfied about the finances behind the league. It is the second significant development ahead of the second edition of the T10 League, after the league's president, Salman Iqbal - also a major investor in the tournament - stepped down citing a lack of "transparency" and "proper systems and monitoring". The new PCB chairman Ehsan Mani has written to the ICC seeking reassurances about the league "being clean".

"I am holding back my position [on providing an NOC to the Pakistani players to participate in the T10] until I am fully satisfied with specifics on whose money is fueling this league," Mani told reporters in Dubai. "In fact, I have asked the ICC for reassurance because they have sanctioned it and I need it in writing that they are totally satisfied that this league has no such element that can bring Pakistan players into dispute. Unfortunately, [our players] get trapped [into sinister machinations often] so my top priority is to protect my players as, for us, reputation of Pakistan is far more important."

The T10 League, a 10-overs-a-side format introduced by private cricket organisers in Sharjah, made its debut late last year, and the success of its opening season has led to an increase from six teams to eight and from a 13-match tournament held over four days to a 28-game event over ten days. The PCB had levied a fee of $400,000 USD on the league and, for extending its support, they are supposed to get another $600,000 (USD).

Iqbal, the owner of the ARY Media Group and the Pakistan Super League's second-most expensive team, Karachi Kings, struck a deal with UAE-based businessman Shaji ul Mulk for launching the league last year. The second edition is set to run from November 23 to December 2. Prominent players like Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum and Andre Russell have committed to taking part this season. On Monday, the eight franchises gathered in Dubai for a mini draft to pick their icon players and choose four players to retain from their 2017 squads.

However, in a surprise move, Iqbal resigned from the position of president on September 19, and disassociated himself from all its operations. His presence in the league was a major driver in pulling in Pakistani players managing to rope in a number of the top nationally contracted players.

Initially the PCB wasn't willing to allow its players to take part since it clashed with the commercial interests of the PSL in the UAE. But Iqbal, despite having a stake in the PSL, managed to convince the then PCB chairman Najam Sethi to let them participate. Sethi, who was in charge of the board until last month, had committed to the T10 that the board would release its players for the second edition. The commitment, however, now stands revoked under the new chairman.

"I don't understand the rationale behind that. On what basis did [the board] commit Pakistan [players to the T10 League]?" asked Mani. "I think the only criteria that was considered was how much money the PCB and the players will get. The players' workload wasn't taken into account.

"All the leagues that Pakistani players participate in, I am getting them re-examined. Whichever league our players are involved in, we need to find out with due diligence who are running the leagues and whether they are really credible. This wasn't done before [with regards to the T10 League] as there is not a single piece paper that can tell me who are these people are behind the T10 League."

The board has also barred its players from participating in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) starting from October 5, in Sharjah. In an email sent by the PCB to Kamran Akmal, the PCB intimated that only players who have retired from all formats are allowed to participate in the tournament. Allrounder Shahid Afridi, along with Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez were picked in the APL draft earlier this month.

 

[Abdullah719]

Mani waits for response from T10 League organisers

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani’s expressed reservations over the source of funds for the T10 League, which the league’s representatives have not answered yet.

Ehsan Mani made it clear that the board would not give a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to any of Pakistani players to participate in the second season of T10 League unless they get a satisfactory answer from the league organisers.

“I will first satisfy myself that we have enough information on the T10 League before we allow our players to play it,”. said Mani

Mani also raised questions on the credibility of the T10 League as the board is unaware about the owners and entities who are sponsoring the event.

“We have to be satisfied where the money is coming from. We have to be satisfied who the sponsors are, we have to be satisfied who the franchisees are. None of this information exists in any file in the PCB today”. Mani stated

He further stated that he has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to give it in writing that they are satisfied with everything regarding the league and that it would not land Pakistani players in any sort of trouble.

“In fact, I have asked the ICC for reassurance because they have sanctioned it and I need it in writing that they are totally satisfied that this league does not gave any element which can bring Pakistan players into dispute,” he told.

PCB chairman made it clear that country’s and players’ dignity over everything.

“Unfortunately, our players get trapped into controversies often so my top priority is to protect my players because for us, the reputation of Pakistan is far more important,” he added.

https://arysports.tv/mani-waits-response-t10-league-organisers/