With help, Pawar can do two jobs

Sharad Pawar, the new International Cricket Council president (ICC), today said the assignment will not come in the way of discharging his ministerial responsibilities.

“I do not see any problem. In any case, the ICC headquarters is in Dubai, which is just two-and-a-half hours away from where I work. Incidentally, Dubai works on Saturdays and Sundays, so I can return to Delhi on Sunday night and do my ministerial job from Monday,” he told Business Standard.

However, Pawar said he could “require two more hands” to help him carry out his ministerial responsibilities. Pawar, who controls Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution portfolios, has only one minister of state. “I will discuss it with the Prime Minister and am confident he would take a pragmatic approach.”

On his earlier suggestion to allocate one of his ministries to someone else, Pawar declined to comment, but reiterated that he would place his views before the PM.

Pawar, who is the second Indian after Jagmohan Dalmiya to head ICC, denied any racism or division on the rejection of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard’s nomination for the ICC vice president’s post.

“The former Australian PM just didn’t get enough support in a democratically-held election. The majority did not support him. Ultimately, in any democratic organisation, there has to be support from the majority but that was not there in his case,” he said.

On his priorities as ICC president, Pawar said he would concentrate on expanding cricket in the US, China, east European countries, Russia and Africa. “This will lead to expansion in the market, too,” he said.