Cricket viewers are always eager to watch arch-rivals India and Pakistan play against each other. However, due to the tension between the two countries, it has been impossible to have any bilateral series between the two cricket giants. They last played a bilateral series in 2012 when Pakistan had toured India.
However, in a recent development, Australia board chief Nick Hockley has said that Australia is ready to host India and Pakistan for a tri-series. It seems impossible for the two countries to be involved in bilateral series for now and therefore a tri-series seems like the best option to see both the teams compete with each other.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja had also proposed an annual four-nation T20 series involving Pakistan, India, Australia and England in January. He believed that it would provide for some great cricket between some of the strongest cricketing nations in the world.
“Personally, I really like the tri-series concept. It’s worked well in the past,” Hockley told reporters in Rawalpindi, where Australia and Pakistan drew the first test in their three-match series. Tri-series were a very popular concept in the years gone by and many fans have been wanting them to be started once again.
"There are really big communities of both India and Pakistan living in Australia. It's a contest that everyone wants to see in world cricket and if we can help support further opportunities we would love to do that," he added. India and Pakistan have fans all around the world and a series between the two sides played in any part of the world will get a huge audience.
While there have been no official talks on the matter, at the moment a series like this seems improbable in the near future as all the teams have a packed international schedule.
Pakistan and India are scheduled to face each other in the T20 World Cup in Australia in October. Hockley said that the October 23 match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was already sold out. It would be a very big match as India would be looking to take revenge for their defeat in the 2021 T20 World Cup.