Is there a possibility of a Pakistan-India bilateral series? Here’s what ICC’s Allardice thinks

ISLAMABAD: There is no possibility of a Pakistan-India bilateral taking place any time soon, acting chief executive of the International Cricket Council, Geoff Allardice, has said.

“We obviously enjoy when they play each other in our events,” Allardice told Belfast Telegraph.

“But the relationship between the two countries and the boards is something the ICC isn’t able to influence,” the acting chief executive said.

India last hosted Pakistan in a bilateral series in 2013 and the teams now meet only in global tournaments, the last being the T20 World Cup, where the Men In Green defeated them — marking their first ever victory against India in a World Cup.

However, both of them crashed out of the tournament — India at the Super 12 stage and Pakistan at the semi-final stage.

“Like any bilateral cricket, if the two boards agree, they play. If they don’t, then they don’t. I suppose we’re not seeing much of a change on the horizon,” Allardice said.

“It’s just a pragmatic approach to keep them apart and let the competition function […] If they both make it to the final of an ICC tournament, then [they play] each other at a neutral venue,” he added.

PCB chairman meets BCCI counterpart

Last month, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja held an informal meeting with his Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) counterpart, Saurav Ganguly.

The meeting between the two cricket board heads took place at the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting, said sources, adding that the two discussed several matters including promoting Asian cricket, among other issues.

Sources said Ganguly invited Raja to attend the Indian Premier League (IPL) final. However, Raja did not attend the match.

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