ECB prepared to host India-Pakistan bilateral Test series

In a piece of ground-breaking news on Tuesday (September 27), England have proposed to host an India-Pakistan bilateral series in the United Kingdom, which could see the neighbours engage in a Test series for the first time since 2007. According to a recently published report in Telegraph.co.uk, Martin Darlow, the deputy chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, has held talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the same during England’s ongoing T20I series in Pakistan.

While England and Pakistan are engaged in an entertaining T20I series in Pakistan, the ECB are conjuring plans of hosting a blockbuster bilateral Test series between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. It is understood that the board has offered several venues to the PCB for the fixtures.

It is worth noting that the subcontinent sides meet in ICC events frequently, attracting a record-breaking crowd almost every time. The 2011 World Cup semi-final clash between India and Pakistan garnered an astonishing television audience of 495 million.

And since both cricket boards might be willing to accept a neutral venue, the proposal could turn out to be a masterstroke for the England Cricket Board, which would see an unprecedented surge in revenues, due to the large base of Asian fans in the country.

Pakistan has refused to entertain India in a red-ball series at a neutral venue

But the PCB doesn’t seem very keen to go ahead with the prospect of facing their rivals in a historic red-ball series since it would rescind their potential of hosting other nations in the country, which has been only possible more recently. The board acknowledged ECB’s proposal which is an indicator of their growing amicable relationship.

Although the PCB at the moment is not very enthusiastic about the offer, it provides a glimmer of hope for the future as an India-Pakistan series will be beneficial for the Men in Green, attracting financial aid for the board. The report also highlighted the fact that countries like Australia and England make more money from playing India than they do by playing in the iconic Ashes series.

This is not the first time that ECB has proposed to act as a host for Pakistan. Previously, Australia visited England in 2010 to play in a two-match Test series against the Asian giants at Lord’s and Headingley.