Former India cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin lashed out at International Cricket Council chief Ehsan Mani for making a "stupid remark" against his role as a television commentator.
Azharuddin, who was banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for his alleged role in match-fixing in 2000, said the ICC cannot not stop him from earning his livelihood.
"Cricket is my life. How can someone stop me from earning my livelihood? Even the Indian cricket Board made it clear that they cannot deprive me of my livelihood," Azharuddin told the Gulf News.
"Being the ICC president he [Mani] should not have made such a stupid remark. No constitution in the world can deprive a person from earning his livelihood," said the player, who is locked in a legal battle with the BCCI to get his ban revoked.
Mani had said, 'We in the ICC have zero tolerance for corruption. Banned players should not be allowed give their views on the game.'
On whether he still has hopes of staging a comeback to cricket, he said, "I'm not sure. First of all I have to win the court case against the allegations. I cannot say anything now."
Azharuddin, who turns 42 next month, was in Sharjah where he played his last match on March 27, 2000 before allegations of match-fixing cut short his career.
He scored 1,660 of his 9,378 one-day runs in Sharjah.
"I have always enjoyed playing here. I am delighted to be back at the ground I had played on for nearly 15 years. Some of the matches here are among the best moments of my career," he said.
"It's a pity that no international matches are being played here now. This ground has played a big role by hosting the maximum number of one-dayers in the world.
"There are many cricket grounds in the world which have been in existence for over 100 years, but none of them could do what this ground has achieved," said Azharuddin, whose highest one-day knock was 108 against Sri Lanka in 1990.
"The ICC should realise that this venue has done so much for the game and ensure that matches are held here regularly," he added.
