Australia all set to host India vs Pakistan bilateral series? CA chief Nick Hockley drops huge statement

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has expressed their interest in hosting an India vs Pakistan bilateral series in Australia. He said that they haven't had a formal conversation but they would be more than happy to see them play down under. 

India vs Pakistan arguably is one of the biggest rivalries in the cricketing World. Whenever the two nations are up against each other, they have made many go gaga about them. Not only the teams are involved but the entire cricket fraternity is busy when the arch-rivals play. 

As big as the rivalry is, fans and cricket lovers have been deprived of the less amount of action between the teams. The two teams don't play each other in the bilateral series as they are up against each other only in the ICC events and the Asia Cups. The reason behind this is the political tensions between the nations. 

The last time two teams clashed with each other in the bilateral series was during the 2012-13. However, after that, there have been no bilaterals between the teams. Even many players apart from the fans have expressed their desire to see the same but so far there hasn't been any official confirmation. 

Cricket Australia's Nick Hockley said that they want to play a role in making the India vs Pakistan bilateral series possible. While talking about his desires to Indian Express, he explained: 

“If we can play a role in helping and facilitating the India vs Pakistan bilateral series. Given the schedules, we haven’t had formal discussions in that regard, but we have said it on the record that we will be happy to host the India vs Pakistan bilateral series." 

India and Pakistan were last seen in action during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The match between the two teams took place at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York and it saw Rohit Sharma-led side winning the game. 

“I think the challenge for world cricket is to ensure that all bilateral series must have a contest - Nick Hockley 

Nick Hockley talked about the future of ODIs, saying that ICC needs to ensure that there is a contest. While pointing out how the World Test Championship has kept things exciting in Test cricket, he stated that ODIs need to have something too. He stated as Australians they will continue to value all three formats. He explained: 

“I think the challenge for world cricket is to ensure that all bilateral series must have a contest. Each series must have consequences, like the Test matches, which help you to progress in the World Test Championships (WTC) finals. 

“We need something similar for the white ball format. Be it the rankings and other factors that relate to the qualifications for the World Cups. From an Australian perspective, we would continue to value all three formats and would also want that each bilateral series must have consequences in terms of qualifications for the World Cups,” he concluded.