Former Australia batsman Dean Jones has said he ‘would love to see’ India and Pakistan battling it out in a bilateral series.
Any game between India and Pakistan is much more than just a mere game of cricket. With so much history between the two countries, neither of the two teams could afford to lose this fixture. Players in both teams routinely face intense pressure to win and sometimes face extreme reactions in defeat. Indo-Pakistan cricket matches are some of the most watched television broadcasts in both countries. The 2011 Cricket World Cup semi-final attracted an average audience of nearly 135 million in India alone. So one can easily assume the pressure on the players when they come out to play this fixture. Not surprisingly, this blockbuster fixture rarely disappoints.
But sadly both the teams rarely play these days. Due to escalating political tensions, both the countries have not played a full bilateral Test series since 2007 when Pakistan last visited their neighbours for three Tests and five One-Day Internationals. They played a short series of three ODIs and two T20s in India in December 2012. But otherwise, both have faced each other only in the ICC organised events or in the Asia Cup.
Recently, the met in the Asia Cup where India defeated Pakistan in both the games and went on to win the title.
And just like all the fans, Dean Jones is also desperate to see the two arch-rivals resuming bilateral ties. Dean Jones took to Twitter to express his desire of seeing India and Pakistan in a five-match series, writing:
“I am not being provocative here.. I just would love to see a 5 game Series between India and Pakistan. I would pay money to watch that I can assure you! #bringiton”
I am not being provocative here.. I just would love to see a 5 game Series between India and Pakistan. I would pay money to watch that I can assure you! #bringiton
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) October 26, 2018
