Manohar was ecstatic after the Online farewell bestowed by the ICC and all the good words that ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney and Imran Khwaja had for him, which made him believe that he really had a great outing. To celebrate his time, Manohar, who didn’t even have a passport until 2007, flew to Dubai with a specially-arranged plane and stayed put in a paid ICC hotel. 

The Vidarbha man started with how his five-year tenure was a historic one for world cricket and how he single-handedly stopped the BCCI hegemony once and for all. Mr Stewart, who was contemplating his next move, suddenly looked at him, before giving a reluctant nod. Sensing that, Manohar started with the Big Three turnover and how that ensured world cricket was spared from the disturbing dynamics of being governed by few elites. It was when Stewart showed the mirror and reverted back, “Sorry Shashank. Didn’t you give the BCCI a huge 400 million USD share after they flat out rejected your proposal of having 100 million less? They bullied you there with your medicine. I am not buying that.”

Seeing Robertson paying attention to the topic, Manohar proudly stated how he kept politics at bay and shut all the doors for India as far as their participation in the 2019 World Cup was concerned. But Robertson was no kid as he had done his research and so he instantly fired back, “But tell me if I’m wrong Shashank, didn’t you and your ICC side with the BCCI in the BCCI-PCB Bilateral series controversy. Do you really think that the agreement signed between two boards was not really an official one? C’mon, you can’t kid-glove me.”

“But what about the spike in World Cricket structure? The associates found a bigger share, a voice and most importantly, a creditable growth,” Manohar asked, highlighting one of the key progress during his regime. “Are you serious?” asked Robertson. “You just hosted a 10-team World Cup and a mess of a final too. I’m sure your love for associates was there when they were crying for representation on the biggest stage of all.”

“Does that really matter? They were giving a half-baked product,” pat came the reply from Manohar. 

“But they are at least giving and ensuring an effort. As the head of the ICC, hosting a World Cup qualifier, you made a joke of that event, Shashank. Steve Elworthy has done more for cricket than you have ever done, my friend. Had you at least ensured BCCI’s hegemony in cricket governance, you could have claimed the brownie point, but alas..”

As had been the case in the last five rounds of arguments, Manohar had been silenced once again, with the waiter coming in for the last order. The game, however, was on by then, with shrewd Robertson having the upper hand with his knight capturing the rook and then getting close to the pawn with a fine manoeuvre.

Manohar was restless and his celebratory mood had been completely put off to give rise to a whole new disturbing set-up. Stewart kept his hand on his shoulder before setting his Queen to give the King a check and said, “Mate, you are always a pawn in this dark game. You thought you were having your own but the master string-puller was making a solid move to protect his pieces and now, you know who the real Queen was!”