Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan has called for the restoration of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan ahead of their much-anticipated clash in the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday (Feb 23).

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The tournament's future was in jeopardy after India refused to travel to Pakistan, with the PCB insisting on hosting the entire event domestically. The deadlock was resolved when both nations agreed to play their ICC tournament fixtures at neutral venues moving forward. However, with top teams arriving in Pakistan for the competition, Moin expressed disappointment over India's absence.

"Unfortunately, the Indian cricket team is not coming to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. When all the top teams are playing here, why can't India?" Moin was quoted saying to Telecom Asia Sport.

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He highlighted the excitement of Pakistani fans who were eager to watch cricketing stars like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant perform in Lahore and Karachi.

'Cricket can bridge gaps'

Due to political tensions, India last toured Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup, and their last bilateral series took place in 2012-13 in India. Since then, the two teams have only met in ICC and Asia Cup tournaments. While India has refrained from touring Pakistan, the latter has traveled to India twice for the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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Moin believes cricket diplomacy could be instrumental in easing relations between the two nations. "Pakistani and Indian cricketers have always shared great camaraderie off the field, despite being fierce competitors on it. I have fond memories of those days," he said.

He urged both cricket boards and officials to use the sport as a medium to mend ties and resume regular bilateral series. "I strongly feel that both nations should embrace cricket diplomacy to bring back Indo-Pak bilateral matches," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)