'ICC have no problems with Sharjah' - Mani

Ehsan Mani: 'ICC is not responsible for the lack of cricket in Sharjah' © Getty Images

Ehsan Mani, the president of International Cricket Council, has dismissed claims that the ICC had banned Sharjah as an international venue. Sharjah last hosted an international event in April 2003, when Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Kenya squared off in the Sharjah Cup, but Mani felt it was upto the individual boards to take the initiative to play there.

"As far as the ICC is concerned, Sharjah is a recognized venue," Mani told . "We have held two ICC tournaments in the recent past, and it's really up to every individual country's board to decide on playing there. It's for the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) and other cricket boards to decide when they can work out timetable to play at Sharjah. We have no problems."

Sharjah also came into the spotlight when the matchfixing scandal broke out in 2001 and speculation was rife about the exact reason for international matches not being played there. However, CBFS officials mentioned that one of the reasons for no tournaments being held for the last two years was the non-availability of teams due to a hectic international schedule.

Mani also met the Indian Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, to discuss the tax exemption for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India in 2006. The ICC had earlier indicated that if the tax wasn't expempted, the tournament would have to be held elsewhere. Chidambaram, though, assured him that the government would look into the matter.