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Karachi: Former International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani has supported the decision by the Pakistan Cricket Board to reach an out-of-court settlement with the ICC over the 2011 World Cup dispute.
"I don't think there was any other option available to Pakistan at this time because there is no way one can tell other teams to come and play in Pakistan at this time," said Mani, who has been advising PCB in its row with the ICC after the governing council had shifted 14 2011 World Cup matches out of the country due to security reasons.
Mani said in an interview the PCB had taken the right decision to file a legal challenge against the ICC when it shifted the World Cup matches from Pakistan in April.
"There was no other option available at that time to Pakistan. But yes, definitely if Pakistan had managed to convince the ICC and other member countries to allow it to host its share of World Cup matches at neutral venues it could have earned more.
"I don't know the exact figure that Pakistan will get from the out-of-court settlement with the ICC but definitely if Pakistan had been allowed to hold matches at neutral venues it would have earned more," he said.
Mani said the ICC bore expenses for all its events and if Pakistan had staged matches at neutral venues it would have earned around USD 18-20 million besides the hosting fees.
Pakistan is at present expecting USD 10.5 million as hosting fees and another USD 8-9 million dollars as compensation amount from the ICC from the out-of-court settlement.
Mani said that India had strongly opposed the shifting of matches to neutral venues and the ICC took a back step.
"It was because of India that Pakistan's proposal to have matches at neutral venues was not accepted. As far as contractual clauses or terms are concerned, the parties who have signed the agreement can always make amendments," he said.
Mani, who acted as an adviser to the PCB in the World Cup dispute, said realistically speaking he didn't see prospects of any team touring Pakistan for the next one year.
"The good thing is that the situation is definitely improving in Pakistan and the incidents of suicide bomb blasts in major cities have subsided. The security problem now appears to be confined to Peshawar and the province and tribal areas," he said.
Mani advised the PCB to start the process of reviving international cricket in Pakistan by inviting junior and A teams of other boards after a few months if the security conditions remain stable and improve in next few months.
