Ramiz Raja provides update on Pakistan-India bilateral series

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja, in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, hinted that the possibility of a bilateral series between Pakistan and India still remains unlikely.

Speaking about the possibilities, Raja said that the tri-nation series including India and Pakistan might be on the cards. However, nothing is certain.

"Bilateral series between Pakistan and India seems unlikely at this moment but we can hope to see both teams in action in a tri-nation series perhaps," said Raja.

Responding to the question regarding India again pulling out of the Champions Trophy after it was announced that the 2025 tournament will be held in Pakistan, Ramiz said:

"It is not an easy task to pull out of an international tournament. Once the rights are awarded, these feuds between different cricketing boards are also considered while making the decision. In my opinion, India will not pull out."

Ramiz Raja elaborated that he has good working relations with the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and the future looks promising.

"I have good working relations with Sourav Ganguly and we have good communication; discussing cricket on a global stage and it can be improved. When two former cricketers are managing things then they focus on cricketing matters and it becomes an easier thing from an administrative standpoint," added the PCB Chairman.

Collective Effort

It was recently announced that Pakistan will be defending their Champions Trophy title on home soil when the tournament kicks off in 2025. This development is a ray of hope, a breakthrough for a better future for Pakistan cricket.

Talking about the efforts, Ramiz said that although it was not a straightforward task and everyone who was involved throughout this process deserves the credit.

 

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"It is always difficult to go to the ICC and present your case and then successfully achieve what you had aimed for. There was a perception of Pakistan on the international stage and it took a long while to change that. This would have been a straightforward task had England and New Zealand not pulled out from their respective series."

Ramiz Raja said that small victories were absolutely vital and credited all those who were involved in making this happen.

"It is not only because of PSL since we also held international series in Pakistan. This has been made a reality due to the efforts of everyone who had been involved [at the PCB]," added Raja.

Rejected Joint Bids for World Cups

Although Pakistan won the right to host the 2025 Champions Trophy, the PCB also put in the bid for the World Cup and T20 World Cup. Responding to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka being awarded the rights with India being the co-host, Raja said:

"The co-hosted bids are accepted if you have friendly relations with the other cricketing boards. It is clear for everyone to see how these cricketing boards operate. If Pakistan's bid was declined, we should not be afraid because we are hosting a major event on our own."

"We want to play cricket against all nations and I have been transparent with the ICC regarding the issues that we are facing. If we look at it, I consider this to be a breakthrough as Pakistan was awarded the rights to host a major event when various other boards such as India, New Zealand, West Indies were all present there. This is a strong statement that Pakistan and PCB will not be ignored as it has been in the past," said a rejuvenated Ramiz.

"In the end, it is also a business and our business is heavily dependent on how our national team performs. If they perform well then we will be in a position to demand more things," added the PCB Chairman.