Senior Sena leader and former speaker of the Lok Sabha Manohar Joshi speaking to the media on Thursday said: “Watching the performance of the Pakistan cricket team, I have a strong feeling that the Pakistani team would not reach the finals in the World Cup. The Sena is firm on its earlier stand of not allowing the Pakistan team to play any cricket matches in Mumbai or in any part of Maharashtra. However, the final take on this would be taken by Sena chief Bal Thackeray,” Joshi said.

Joshi further said: “Thackeray’s word is the final word in the Sena. For every Sena workers Thackeray’s words are orders which are followed rigorously by everyone. Therefore our stand on Pakistan cricket team would remain firm till our supremo maintains his stand on the issue. Till today the Sena workers have not violated or dishonored any of the orders of Thackeray,” Joshi said questioning whether anyone had dared to play in Mumbai if the Sena chief had said ‘No’ particularly relating to the Pakistan cricket team.