http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580 slams IPL for discrimination – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s former Captain and Coach, Javed Miandad, has spoken out against the prejudiced stance adopted by the Indian Premier League, which has been accused of purposely barring the Men in Greens from participating in the lucrative event.
Many members of the then p**i outfit participated in the debut season of the IPL, which took place in 2008, but following the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, diplomatic relations between the two countries took a downward turn, and this negativity seeped
into the sports arena as well.
The IPL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came under heavy fire when none of the Pakistani players, put up for auction during the 2009 season, were bought by the involved franchises. The BCCI denied accusations of active discrimination,
insisting that the teams had made independent decisions to not sign players from their close neighbours.
However, these claims were recently refuted by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lalit-Kumar-Modi-c72144, ex-IPL chief, who categorically stated in his interview to CNN-IBN, that the Pakistan players had been excluded in 2009 due to pressure from the Board. “Arm-twisting happened by senior BCCI officials
that nobody should pick them,” he admitted.
Following the 2009 season, the Men in Green were absent from the 2010 season, with none of the players being made available in the auction. The only Pakistani who have featured in the IPL are http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wasim-Akram-c96292 (as bowling coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders),
and all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Azhar-Mahmood-c1116 (for the Kings XI Punjab), who is a British passport holder.
Miandad has expressed disgust with the IPL’s attitude, accusing the league of treating his home grown players as “untouchables.” “My question is, who is to be blamed? Is it the BCCI or the Indian government? One should come clear on whose decision is this,
otherwise the blame game would continue and Pakistani cricketers will be deprived time and again,” he said.
The former legendary batsman stressed the need for transparency in the IPL’s selection criteria. “We don't beg to play in the IPL, but at the same time, there shouldn't be such discrimination against a nation," he stated. Referring to Pakistani actors and
singers who frequently work in India, Maindad questioned the double standards, asking why is cricket affected, while other activities continue unhindered.
When questioned about the significance of incidents such as Mohammad Asif's positive dope test during IPL 2008, and the current spot-fixing scandal, Maindad said these were individual incidents, unrepresentative of the team and the nation as a whole.
To highlight his country’s positive attitude, he brought up the 2004 Pak-http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 Test series, when the Men in Blue emerged triumphant, and were appreciated by the Pakistani fans.
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