The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has opened up about the resumption of bilateral series between India and Pakistan. The two arch-rivals were last seen in action during a bilateral series played in 2012-13. Thereafter, due to political tensions between both nations, the teams were seen only in a multi-team tournament organized by ICC.
India and Pakistan played their last match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, where Pakistan registered their maiden victory over India in a World Cup game.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and his men clinched a ten-wicket victory over India. Notably, it was the most-watched game of the marquee tournament.
Now, cricket lovers from both sides want to see the arch-rivals in action again.
When asked about the bilateral series between India and Pakistan, Ganguly said that it is not in his hands. The two sides compete against each other at ICC tournaments, but the bilateral series has been stopped for years. Arranging a bilateral series is the government’s decision, and nobody else can go ahead without it.
“This is not in the hands of the boards. At world tournaments, the two teams do play each other. Bilateral cricket has been stopped for years and this is something that the respective governments have to work on. This is not in Rameez’s hands, nor mine.” Ganguly said at the 40th Sharjah international book fair on November 13.
Meanwhile, Ramiz Raja said that the match between India and Pakistan seems impossible in the near future due to spoiled political mechanisms. He added that they are not in a hurry on this issue and rather their focus is on domestic and local cricket matches.
“The sporting model has been spoiled by politics and right now it is a status quo and we are not in a hurry on this issue because we have to focus on our domestic and local cricket,” said Raja.
