Ramiz Raja: “There is no reason why India couldn’t come to Pakistan and Pakistan go to India”
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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said it’s time for India and Pakistan to put their differences aside and start playing bilateral series again.
He noted that there is no reason why India can’t tour Pakistan and vice versa.
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since the latter toured India for two Twenty20 Internationals and three ODIs from December 2012 to January 2013.
Since then, the two arch-rivals have only clashed at major cricket events like the World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup.
With this in mind, Ramiz has extended the olive branch after Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah made it clear that the men in blue won’t travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup.
In response, the PCB chairman said that Pakistan would consider pulling out of the 2023 World Cup in India if that happened.
However, knowing that there is a need for the two nations to face each other regularly outside of ICC events, Ramiz wants the other cricket board, particularly the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia to help make this a reality.
“There is no reason why India couldn’t come to Pakistan and Pakistan go to India,” he told Test Match Special as quoted by Cricket Pakistan. “Both boards need to come to terms with whether we want to play each other or not.
“India cannot come because the government will not allow them because that has been the stated position, but to take the Asia Cup away from us is just not right. Why give it to us in the first place and then make all those statements that India will not travel?
“The neutral cricket boards that have held important positions, when they keep quiet, frustrates me completely. The International Cricket Council has to think out of the box and work better.”
Pakistan are currently playing a three-Test series against England on home soil.
They lost the first Test by 74 runs and are looking to bounce back in the second Test, which is currently taking place in Multan.
Pakistan’s Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed
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