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'No bilateral cricket with Pakistan': BCCI rejects Sethi’s Test series proposal

Sethi had mentioned the possibility of arranging bilateral Test matches between the arch-rivals in neutral venues

'No bilateral cricket with Pakistan': BCCI rejects Sethi’s Test series proposal PHOTO: AFP

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rejected the proposal put forward by Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), for a bilateral Test series between India and Pakistan at a neutral venue. Sethi had expressed his openness to the idea of organizing a Test series in countries like Australia, England, or South Africa, with England being his preferred choice.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Sethi had mentioned the possibility of arranging bilateral Test matches between the arch-rivals in neutral venues, citing the potential for a successful turnout in Australia or England.

“Yes, I think bilateral Test matches can be played in Australia, England, South Africa," Sethi had said. “But I think the best bet would be England, and following that Australia. If you can get a house full in any of the Australian stadiums, fine, that would be great."

However, the BCCI has denied any plans for such a series to take place in the future. According to an ANI news agency report, a BCCI source stated that the Indian cricket board is not prepared to engage in any kind of bilateral series with Pakistan at this time or in the foreseeable future. The source reaffirmed the BCCI's stance, making it clear that they are not ready to pursue any cricketing engagements with their Pakistani counterparts.

“No plans for such kind of series to happen in the future or upcoming days. We aren’t ready for any kind of bilateral series with Pakistan," the BCCI source was quoted as saying.

Despite the extensive popularity of Pakistan-India matches at the box office, both arch-rivals have rarely met outside of major cricketing events due to political issues between the two nations. Their most recent bilateral series was in 2013, and they last played a Test match against each other in December 2007.