ISLAMABAD: Cricket Australia has restated its readiness to host a bilateral series between India and Pakistan, pending agreement from the BCCI and PCB to engage in future matches, as reported by cricket website ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday.
Both India and Pakistan’s men’s teams are scheduled to be in Australia simultaneously this November, with Pakistan playing three ODIs and T20Is before India kicks off a five-Test series just four days later on November 22, as per CA’s recently announced home summer schedule. However, the possibility of matches between the two nations during these visits was never feasible.
The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan dates back to 2012-13, with encounters now limited to global ICC events. Following the thrilling 2022 T20 World Cup match between the two teams at the MCG, attended by 90,293 spectators, CA, the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCG operators), and the Victorian government have shown interest in hosting bilateral matches at the MCG.
CA’s CEO, Nick Hockley, reaffirmed this desire during the announcement of Australia’s home schedule at the MCG, expressing enthusiasm to facilitate such contests if the opportunity arises. He highlighted the significance of the India-Pakistan game at the MCG, emphasizing the widespread interest in witnessing such matchups.
