International Cricket Council (ICC) chief Geoff Allardice has expressed his opinion on the idea of four-team T20I series involving India and Pakistan and has retracted that there is no formal approach from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). A proposed four-team tournament is being talked about by current PCB chairman and former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja but the ICC chief has no idea regarding any such tournament.
England and Australia are rumoured to be the other two nations along with arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
“We have not had any correspondence or communication with Ramiz Raja regarding any of the ideas. Till we get more detail on what he is thinking, it is hard to comment. At this stage, we have had no communication with Ramiz Raja regarding his idea,” Allardice said in a virtual press conference.
The main idea
The idea behind the series is to bring back the electrifying rivalry between Indian and Pakistan on to the global stage once again. The two nations have only shared the stage in global tournaments like World Cup or Asia Cup and they have not been involved in any bilateral series for nine years.
The PCB chairman's latest tweet is seen as a move to attract cricket fans and followers but the ICC chief is yet to be contacted regarding this topic.
The arch-rivals
Although England and Australia would also serve as a treat, India and Pakistan rivalry will be the icing on the cake with cherries on the top. The initiative taken by Ramiz could also be the first step forward to narrow the strained relationship between the two nations. It is difficult to imagine that, it has been 14 long years since the two nations last met in a Test match.
ICC events like World Cup and Champions Trophy have been the only stages where the two rivals have met each other. A three-match ODI series in December 2012, which Pakistan won by 2-1 was the last time they met in a head-to-head battle.
The most recent meeting between the rivals took place in October 2021, when Babar Azam-led Pakistan team beat India for the first time in a World Cup match. The match also broke multiple digital records for being one of the most-watched sporting events on the digital platform. Although the idea behind the four-team tournament has once again got the cricketing fraternity on the edge of their seats.
