Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja had proposed a four-nation tournament featuring India, Pakistan, Australia and England, but the International Cricket Council (ICC), in its board meeting on Sunday (April 10), rejected the proposal.
At the event in Dubai, the ICC members said the idea was good but not practical. The reason they gave to the PCB chairman was that their Future Tours Programme (FTP) is jam-packed, and there is no window for a new series.
“There were a lot of deliberations on the issue at the Board meeting around it. There was also a formal acknowledgment to Ramiz that from a cricketing perspective it’s a great idea but practically it doesn’t work in view of the tight schedule and packed ICC events,” a member, who attended the ICC meeting, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“The FTP is complete and the ICC is going to market with the present set of events.”
Reacting to the same, Raja, later in the day, tweeted: “Great discussion regarding 4 Nations series today at the ICC meet. As a concept it was welcomed and debated upon and seen as promoting the interest of the game. Fingers crossed. More when I am back at the office tomorrow.”
Great discussion regarding 4 Nations series today at the ICC meet. As a concept it was welcomed and debated upon and seen as promoting the interest of the game. Fingers crossed 🤞 More when I am back at the office tomorrow.
— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) April 10, 2022
In the meantime, the apex cricketing body has agreed to the recommendation from the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee regarding the utilisation of more neutral match officials as travel restrictions across the world have now been lifted.