LAHORE: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Wednesday, gave a green signal to a potential Pakistan-India Test series at a neutral venue.
Pakistan and India last locked horns in a bilateral series in 2012 when Pakistan toured India for a three-match ODI and two-match T20I series, with the visiting side winning the ODI series 2-1 while the T20I series ended in a draw.
The arch-rivals have since only met at Asia Cups and ICC events as the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) refused to play a bilateral series against Pakistan on political grounds.
The bilateral series’ deadlock between the two cricketing giants has taken an interesting turn after the PCB management committee chairman Najam Sethi nodded to the possibility of a Pakistan-India Test series in Australia.
“We are ready to play a Test series against India in Australia, said Sethi.
“Dubai would be a budget-friendly venue for us but if Australia can host house full matches then we are ready for it,” he added.
Notably, the CEO of Cricket Australia (CA) Nick Hockley, last year, offered to host Pakistan and India for a tri-match series. Whereas, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also offered to be a neutral venue for the much-anticipated bilateral Test series between the two rivals.
Meanwhile, the PCB chief further commented on the ongoing deadlock between two cricket boards regarding the venue of this year’s Asia Cup and shared that the PCB has offered the hybrid model to BCCI.
The upcoming edition of the Asia Cup and Pakistan’s participation in the Men’s ODI World Cup has been in jeopardy after the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) refused to tour Pakistan for the aforementioned tournament on political grounds.
The BCCI maintained their stance of not touring Pakistan for the Asia Cup, while the PCB was adamant that if they do not, then Pakistan might not travel to India for the World Cup in October-November.
As per the latest development, however, the BCCI has reportedly accepted PCB’s hybrid model which meant that Pakistan will host the first four matches of the tournament while India’s group stage matches and Super 4s matches will be contested on a neutral venue.
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