Last Updated on 4 years ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: ECB offers India & Pakistan to play a Test against each other in England | Will India and Pakistan play a Test in England?
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has offered to host a Test series between India and Pakistan.
The arch-rivals last competed in the red-ball format way back in December 2007. ECB’s deputy chairperson Martin Darlow has sounded his idea to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja amidst England’s ongoing T20I series against Babar Azam’s men.
The offer is being seen as the ECB’s way of making it up to the PCB after England pulled out of a two-match T20I series in Pakistan last year. However, the PCB is unlikely to accept the aforementioned offer as it has managed to bring international cricket back to their home grounds after playing host in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for many years.
Back in 2010, Pakistan had hosted Australia for a couple of Tests in England. However, the Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammed Asif spot-fixing scandal strained the relations between the Pakistani and English cricketing boards later on that year.
India, Pakistan two great teams and two massive playing nations – Moeen
“That would be brilliant. It’s a shame that they don’t obviously play each other unless it’s a World Cup or an ICC event but they’re two great teams and two massive playing nations,” England’s stand-in skipper Moeen Ali was quoted in a report by the ESPNcricinfo.
The 35-year-old added, “With the viewing [figures] and all that, it would be one of the biggest games because it’s not been done for a very long time. It would be a great game because Pakistan have a really good bowling attack as well as India now, and India have a great Test side. It would be really good.”
India and Pakistan have largely met only in multi-nation tournaments as political relations between the two countries strained in the aftermath of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Pakistan last toured India for a couple of T20Is and three ODIs in December 2012-January 2013.
