The England and Wales Cricket Board has unofficially volunteered to host a bilateral Test series between India and Pakistan, but BCCI insiders claimed there is ‘next to no possibility’ that this will happen soon. The deputy chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Martin Darlow, spoke with the Pakistan Cricket Board during the current Twenty20 series and proposed England’s stadiums as potential locations for a future three-match Test series, the UK daily ‘Telegraph’ reported. The BCCI’s ruling class laughed at the proposals and stated that no such possibilities might develop, at least not in the foreseeable future, even if the ECB made the offer for its own commercial advantage.
‘Firstly, it’s strange that ECB talked to PCB about an Indo-Pak series. Whatever the situation, the government will determine whether to play a series against Pakistan, not the BCCI. The position is still the same as of right now. Pakistan is a team we exclusively play in multi-team competitions ‘, a senior BCCI official familiar with India’s stance, PTI on Tuesday. The last bilateral white-ball series between India and Pakistan took place in India in 2012, and the previous Test series was in 2007.
No matter if it is played at home, away, or a neutral location, the BCCI has a resounding ‘No’ because to the hostile political relations between the neighbours. Exactly why the ECB offered the ‘generous offer’ is stated in the publication. ‘In the UK, which has a sizable South Asian expat community, the matches would draw sizable crowds. Huge sponsorship dollars and television viewers are attracted to the games ‘, it read.
Even yet, the report made it plain that ‘PCB is not keen on playing India at neutral venue but are pleased for the ECB’s offer, which reflects the strengthening cooperation between the two boards’. It was noted that given that the major countries are once again beginning to tour Pakistan, it would be a ‘retrograde move in their view’ if they happen to play on a neutral venue.
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