Impossible Right Now - Ramiz Raja On Resuming Bilateral Ties With India

Ramiz Raja, the newly-elected Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said it is impossible in the current scenario to have bilateral cricket with India as the “sporting model has been spoiled by politics”.

Due to political tensions between the two nations, India and Pakistan haven’t played a bilateral series for 8 years and meet only in multi-nation events such as the ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.

Ramiz Raja, who became only the fourth former cricketer to become PCB chairman, asserted that the board isn’t in any kind of hurry to resume the bilateral relation with the BCCI, and instead, he said, they are focussed on improving their own cricket.

“Impossible right now because the sporting model has been spoiled by politics and right now it is a status quo and we are not in a hurry on this issue because we have to focus on our domestic and local cricket,” Ramiz Raja said on Monday.

I told the Pakistan team players I want the tables to be turned this time: Ramiz Raja

The last time the two neighbouring nations clashed was during the 2019 World Cup when Virat Kohli’s side prevailed in Manchester. The next time they will meet will be the T20 World Cup – on October 24 India and Pakistan play their first encounter of the tournament in Dubai.

Pakistan have never beaten India in a World Cup game. This is a record which the new PCB boss wants to change; he has let his players know it too.

“It is a show stopper and when I met with the Pakistan team players I told them I want the tables to be turned this time and the team must be 100 percent operational for the match and to do well in it,” Ramiz Raja said.

India and Pakistan are clubbed together with New Zealand, Afghanistan, and two other teams who will qualify from Round 1, in the Group 2 of the Super 12 stage.

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