India vs Pakistan Cricket: IND vs PAK Test match: The grand success of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match at the MCG has forced Cricket Australia to take a look a possible Test match. While Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi and Virat Kohli vs Haris Rauf at the MCG in whites would have been a spectacle, the BCCI is not in favour of it. A senior BCCI official has shot down the idea saying until the government approves, IND vs PAK matches will only be confined to ICC events and Asia Cup. Follow ICC T20 World Cup 2022 LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
“There is no question of playing Pakistan in any tournament apart from ICC and Asian events. We are not travelling to Pakistan and not playing anywhere else. It’s very simple. Despite the interest it generates, we are not a private body. We are bound by government rules and if it doesn’t allow us to play Pakistan, we cannot,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.IN.
India vs Pakistan Cricket: BCCI shoots down idea of one-off IND vs PAK Test at MCG, says ‘Not playing anywhere except ICC events’
Australian news outlet SEN reported that talks are underway for a possible India vs Pakistan Test match at the MCG. If it would have been successful, Australia are also interested in hosting a tri-nation series involving India and Pakistan besides Aussie.
“Their T20 World Cup clash was extraordinary. That game itself is the one that’s held the tournament up so far, people keep referring back to it. There was 90,000 at a neutral venue. There was extraordinary emotion, the scenes of the game, the tightness of the game, the pressure,” former Australian all-rounder Simon O’Donnell told SEN.
According to reports discussions are underway about the possibility of a triangular One-Day series between India, Pakistan and Australia or a Test match between India and Pakistan in Australia #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) October 31, 2022
The India vs Pakistan match at the MCG was valued at $7 million. With rain staying away, fans enjoyed a thrilling encounter. In short, India and Pakistan fans took over streets of Melbourne for a day. It also generated huge enthusiasm among Australians.
“It was magnificent sort of stuff, to the level that I can say there will be discussions being had, or there are discussions being had to play a Test match here. There’s also the possibility of a triangular One-Day series between India, Pakistan and Australia or a Test match between India and Pakistan. There are already discussions taking place,” O’Donnell said.
India vs Pakistan Cricket: BCCI shoots down idea of one-off IND vs PAK Test at MCG, says ‘Not playing anywhere except ICC events’
However, the BCCI official said, there is no ongoing discussion with Cricket Australia or the Pakistan Cricket Board on a Test match or Tri-series.
“No, there are no discussions taking place at the moment. Ramiz Raja proposed a tri-nation series during ACC meeting in Dubai. But we did not go ahead as the government did not agree to such a plan. Currently, until diplomatic ties improve, a Test or tri-series other than ICC event is out of the equation,” the official said.
The last time India played a Test match against Pakistan was back in 2007 in Bengaluru. Since then, the two sides have not met in Test cricket. Despite ICC implementing ICC Test Championship, the two Asian powerhouses have stayed away.
The BCCI has also refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023. As a result, PCB has threatened to quit Asian Cricket Council while boycotting the ICC World Cup in India. But as PCB relies heavily on ICC for funding, it is unlikely that Pakistan can pull out of the World Cup. The hefty fine will be difficult to deal with.
India vs Pakistan Cricket: BCCI shoots down idea of one-off IND vs PAK Test at MCG, says ‘Not playing anywhere except ICC events’
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