Cricket Australia reiterates desire to host India vs Pakistan bilateral series

Cricket Australia (CA) has reiterated its desire to hold a bilateral series between India and Pakistan if the countries agree. CA chief executive Nick Hockley made the comments after releasing the summer schedule for Australia during which they host India and Pakistan in separate series. While Pakistan will be in Australia for a T20I and ODI series of three-match each, India will be starting their five-Test tour four days after the Pakistan series on November 22.

"We're so excited to host Pakistan. We're so excited to host India. If we can help, that's great. But I think in many ways, that's a bilateral series. It's really for others to make that happen," said Hockley.

This is not the first time CA has expressed the desire to serve as a neutral venue to host India and Pakistan in a bilateral series. It first made such a statement after the blockbuster 2022 T20 World Cup match between the Asian countries at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Over 90,000 people attended that match which saw India win in a thrilling manner.

"I think anyone that was here for the India-Pakistan game at the MCG, it will go down as one of the most memorable occasions, not just sporting occasions, that I've ever been to," Hockley said. "So people want to see that contest. We would love to host that if the opportunity arose. If we can play a role, we'd love to play a role."

CA's head of scheduling, Peter Roach also shared the same views but acknowledged that there's no room for such a series as of now.

"We haven't got a tri-series in the FTP," Roach said. "Going forward we're always interested in opportunities for matches and contests that will engage our fans. It's fair to say every country in the world would love to see India and Pakistan compete in their country."

Notably, India and Pakistan haven't played a bilateral series since 2012-13 due to political tensions between the two countries and currently see each other only in the ICC tournaments.