Eshan Mani, a former president of the International Cricket Council (ICC), feels that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was wrong in agreeing to a brief limited overs series in India.
“I think the PCB is wrong to have agreed to this. If it is a political decision, then the PCB should have asked the politicians to make sure that India reciprocated by coming and playing against Pakistan even if it was at a neutral venue,” said Mani, who represented the PCB in ICC from 1989 to 1996.
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Mani doubts whether India would reciprocate in the same way by playing in Pakistan. “India owes Pakistan two series which it has cancelled out. It is totally wrong that Pakistan should be going to India. My opinion is Pakistan should not be going to India at all. India or the BCCI went out of its way after the Mumbai attack to isolate Pakistan cricket at the ICC,” Mani was quoted as saying by Pakpassion.net.
The Pakistan team will tour India for the first time for a bilateral series since 2007. Sporting ties between the two countries were snapped after the 2008
Mumbai attacks. But Pakistan played the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup against India in Mohali.
Mani said that PCB is just helping the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fill its overflowing coffers “with no assurance of a reciprocal tour”.
Pakistan will play two T20 internationals in Bangalore (Dec 25) and Ahmedabad (Dec 27). It will be followed by three ODIs in Chennai (Dec 30), Kolkata (Jan 3) and Delhi (Jan 6).