Shashank Manohar must not forget the trust and faith BCCI placed in him: Ajay Shirke

On Thursday, answering the question on why he is not serving India’s interests, despite being the ICC chairman from India, Manohar had said, “I'm there to protect the ICC's interests, and not the BCCI's”. This statement has not gone down well with the BCCI, and Secretary Ajay Shirke has hit back at him saying that the ICC chief should not forget his roots.

"I don't think it will be proper for him to forget that the amendments to the ICC constitution were made by him when he was the president of the BCCI, and as such with the complete trust and faith that BCCI placed in him. Those amendments (in ICC constitution) were possible only because of India's support. In fact, the members of the BCCI were never taken into confidence when these changes were made in the ICC constitution,”Shirke told Cricbuzz on Friday.

"But he should not forget his roots and origins. Manohar's family has a very long association of over three generations with Indian cricket administration," Shirke said, reported Cricbuzz.

The ICC and the BCCI have been involved in a cold war since Shashank Manohar took over at the helm of the sport's governing body and drafted in a lot of changes. The removal of the Big Three revenue model, which ensured that the BCCI, the Australian Board, and the English Board received the bulk of the revenue generated, and the proposed two-tier system in Test cricket have not gone down well with the BCCI. However, Shirke has made it clear that the BCCI is not looking for any undue favours from Manohar.

"But if due to his posturing, the ICC wishes to give the BCCI a raw deal, let me assure you and the Indian public that the BCCI, led by its president, is more than capable of protecting its own interests.

"One need not have to remind him that when he has to look at all members equally, that does not by any stretch of imagination exclude doing justice to the other members at the cost of India," he added.