LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja is set to propose an annual quadrangular Twenty20 series involving Pakistan, India, Australia, and England, Code Sports reported on Tuesday.
According to Code Sports Australia, Ramiz Raja will present the proposal in the next International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting. The development is being considered in order to revive bilateral cricket ties between Pakistan and India, who last played a series back in 2012/13.
“It’s not going to happen right now, but who knows,” Raja told the website. “I have a good mind of proposing a rugby Six Nations-style series that they have a cricket series, a T20 international series outside the FTP [Future Tours Programme] where Australia, England, India, and Pakistan can play four sides,” he added.
“If India and Pakistan are not willing to play bilaterally, involve them in a four-nation event, and so every year this tournament could go to England, Australia, Pakistan and India and take it from there,” he said, adding, “I will propose it, definitely I will. So this is breaking news.”
The arch-rivals have been deprived of playing bilateral cricket due to worsening political conditions. During Najam Sethi’s regime, both cricket boards planned to play six series during the 2015-23 cycle but it didn’t happen.
They have only met during ICC and ACC tournaments since 2013. Their last meeting came during the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Australia’s tour of Pakistan
Speaking to the website, Ramiz Raja also urged the Australian players to tour Pakistan as it would have an emotional impact on the local fans, as they have been deprived of international matches at home.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” Raja said, adding, “You’ve got to understand what it means to Pakistani fans. We’ll make sure that we make it into a grand spectacle as well.”
He continued, “Some of the comments coming out of Australia, are very encouraging for us. I heard what Usman Khawaja had to say. You’ve got to understand the emotions behind such a tour.”
The Aussies are scheduled to tour Pakistan in early March — their first visit to the country since 1998 — for three Tests, three ODIs, and one T20I.
