Pakistan cricket board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has now included the International Cricket Council (ICC) in his agenda of trying to get the BCCI to resume the India-Pakistan cricketing ties, saying that the ICC is compromised as India produces the majority of revenue for the ICC.
Raja further remarked that ICC is unable to take a neutral stand on the India-Pakistan cricketing ties because of the same reason.
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral Test series since 2007 and any bilateral series since 2012-13. Since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, India has not visited Pakistan. The two sides only have met in ICC and ACC events in World Cups, Champions Trophies, and Asia Cups.
Pakistan last played an ODI against India in the 2019 World Cup and in T20Is in the recent T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, recently let the cat loose amongst the pigeons by stating that India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, and the tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue.
Ramiz Raja refuted those claims and said that Pakistan will host the Asia Cup and if India doesn’t visit the country, then Pakistan might pull out of the ODI World Cup 2023 to be played in India.
The PCB chief has routinely given statements asking the ICC to intervene and now has given a bizarre statement about the governing body of world cricket.
"They are circumspect and not forthcoming because India produces the entire ICC wealth, and so their position, unfortunately, is compromised as a result, I don't think it's going to change unless we have a resolve and commitment in every cricket board and our cricket fraternity works towards making it happen," Ramiz Raja was quoted as saying by the National.
“Of course, we need to play each other. Who wouldn't want to watch India versus Pakistan? There shouldn't be an excuse for Pakistan not playing in India or India not playing in Pakistan," Ramiz added.
Notably, the India-Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup 2022 in MCG registered more than 90,000 fans in attendance and more than 16 million online viewers on Disney Hotstar.
