MELBOURNE: The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) on Thursday expressed interest in the possibility of hosting a much-anticipated Test between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.
Two Asian giants and bitter rivals, who did not face each other in the longest format since 2007 due to the seizure of the bilateral series between them, have once again caught the attention of other cricketing nations after MCC Chief Executive Stuart Fox expressed his interest in hosting a Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Notably, the two sides come face to face in the ODIs and T20Is in multi-national events like Asia Cup and ICC World Cups.
They last met in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at MCG, which witnessed a mammoth audience of more than 90,000 piling in the stands while some stood to witness India seal a final-ball thriller over Pakistan after Virat Kohli’s heroics.
The electric atmosphere of the T20 World Cup fixture seemed to have inspired the MCC Chief Fox, who asserted that there would be no problem in loading the stadium for the entirety of a Test match.
“The atmosphere for that game, I’ve never felt anything like it,” Fox told radio station SEN.
“The noise after every ball was phenomenal. Three (Tests) in a row would be lovely at the MCG, you’d fill it every time.
“We’ve taken that up with Cricket Australia. I know the (Victoria) government has as well. It’s enormously complicated from what I can understand, amongst a really busy schedule. So I think that’s probably the greater challenge.”
Meanwhile, the MCC chief further expressed his hope in Cricket Australia keeps pushing for the proposal to the global cricket governing body – International Cricket Council.
“When you do see some of the stadiums around the world unoccupied, I think it would be much better to have a full house and that atmosphere and celebrating the game with full houses,” Fox said.
