The head of Cricket Australia, Nick Hockley, has shown interest in having a cricket series in Australia between the long-time rivals, India and Pakistan. He also mentioned the chance of setting up a three-team series with these strong cricket countries. This is an important move because the two countries haven’t had a series just between them since the 2012-13 season, and they’ve only played against each other in big international cricket events since then.
“Pakistan and India have been competing against each other for a long time, and people really look forward to their games,” Hockley mentioned. Although no official discussions have started yet, Hockley made it clear that Cricket Australia is ready to help make these events happen. “If we can assist in any way, we would be happy to. But the final choices are up to the cricket authorities in India and Pakistan.”
Hockley’s comment highlights CA’s goal to connect India and Pakistan through cricket, using Australia as a neutral location to give fans the thrilling experience of an India-Pakistan match outside of international competitions.
The anticipation for an India-Pakistan series is very strong, particularly following their match in the 2024 T20 World Cup group stage in New York, which drew 90,293 fans. India won by six runs, with Rohit Sharma’s team ultimately winning the championship, while Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, did not make it past the group stage.
Considering the excitement around these games, Hockley mentioned, “We haven’t talked about it officially yet because of the busy schedules, but we’ve mentioned before that we would love to have the India vs. Pakistan series here.”
The Melbourne Cricket Club and the government of Victoria are also interested in holding these important matches, especially after seeing how many people came and enjoyed previous events.
Additionally, Hockley emphasized the need for bilateral series to be more important and meaningful, similar to how the World Test Championship is structured. “The ODI World Cup that took place in India last year was great. I believe the format with ten teams, where each match matters, is really good.
“From Australia’s point of view, we would keep appreciating all three formats of the game and would also like each bilateral series to have an impact on qualification for the World Cups,” he concluded.
