Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan is currently at a standstill due to strained diplomatic relations between the two countries. The last time the two sides met in a bilateral series was in the 2012/13 season when Pakistan toured India in December/January for two T20Is and three ODIs. Since then, cricket matches between the two teams have been limited to continental (Asia Cup) and global (ICC) tournaments.
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The last time India and Pakistan met on a cricket ground was during the 2021 T20 World Cup, where the Babar Azam-led side won by 10 wickets over the Men in Blue. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja had attempted to start a four-nation series involving India (the other two being England and Australia), but the idea was rejected by the ICC Board.
During a press conference on Friday, Raja revealed that he was invited by Sourav Ganguly to the Indian Premier League on two separate occasions; However, he did not leave due to possible anger from fans.
“Look, I’ve had other conversations with Sourav Ganguly. I keep telling him, there are 2-3 cricketers who are currently the chairman or president of the board. If we can’t make a difference, what’s the point?
“Unfortunately, they also have their own concerns. On two separate occasions, he invited me to the IPL; Once in Dubai and once this year. I was confused about whether to attend or not. I thought the fans would not spare me if I went there. It may have the spirit of cricket (participating in IPL), yes, but right now, there are some cracks that need to be filled as it is a political game,” said Raja.
The PCB chairman, however, was positive about the future as he mentioned sealing the hosting rights for the 2025 Champions Trophy to Pakistan.
“If it was a cricket game, it would have been solved in two minutes. Look, we’ve got the hosting rights for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which means we’ve tried to break that impact and people are starting to recognize that Pakistan’s team and fans deserve world class events like this , “The king said.
