International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani said on Sunday that he was against the idea of having India-Pakistan matches in neutral venues.
"Hosting India-Pakistan matches in neutral venues dilute the interest of these matches. It makes them lose their iconic status. Their Boards are trying to take the game to places where there are a large number of Asians living. But personally speaking, I have reservations against it," Mani told reporters in Goa.
His statement comes a few days before India and Pakistan play each other in a two-match one-day international series in a brand new venue at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
It is not only the venues that are a problem for the game's ruling body, but also the effect it has on the players.
"The player workload has always been a concern for the ICC since a long time. But it is upto the Boards to manage the issue and decide on it. The player burnout issue is always a concern.
"We have stretched our Future Tours Programme from five years to six to give the Boards more time to manage their cricket and players. But what we find that each time we extend the programme, the Boards will fill it up with a new series. So we can't really do anything about it," Mani added.
The ICC president also announced the groups for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India in October. The tournament is spread in two legs, which includes the qualifying matches to be played among four teams. There will be a total of 21 matches to be played over a month.
Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will fight it out in the qualifying matches to make it to the main tournament.
The first group will include India, Australia, England and the first qualifier. The second group will have Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and the second qualifier.
Mani said that there were a couple of outstanding issues with the BCCI regarding the tournament, but hoped that it would be resolved soon.
"There are 2 outstanding issues and I am sure that it will be resolved soon. The first issue is the amount of tickets available to the ICC sponsors and the second issue is the cost of the fourth venue.
"The ICC had only requested for three venues, but the BCCI wants to have a fourth venue, for which it will need to bear its own expenses. The BCCI is reviewing the budget of the fourth venue and if it finds the cost acceptable then it's not a problem, else we will have just three venues."
The four venues decided by the BCCI are Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, Mohali, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
He is also delighted at the choice of venues, particularly CCI, which would host an international match after a long time. The last international match played here was between India and New Zealand in November 1995 after which it has only hosted tour games.
"I am delighted that an international match will be played at the CCI in Mumbai. It deserves to host international matches and it would be great for Mumbai to see international matches being played there," said Mani.
The ICC also announced their plans to popularise Twenty20 tournaments.
"There will be a Twenty20 event in 2007, which will be on an invitational basis. But in 2009, we will have the Twenty20 international event where all the countries will take part," he said.
Mani also said that India had offered to host the Women's Cricket World Cup in 2009.
"The women's cricket is also important for the development of the game. The Indian Women's Association have offered to host the 2009 World Cup," he said.
