- SHOAIB MALIK
Former Pakistan captain, Shoaib Malik, has welcomed ICC’s plans of organizing a Pakistan-India series in 2012; labeling it as a massive occasion - even bigger than the Ashes.
Pakistan is scheduled to play India in March – April, 2012. The two sides will play three tests and five One Day Internationals.
No formal decision has been taken so far as it will be up to the respective boards - the PCB or the BCCI - to give a go ahead.
However, it is still unclear whether the two Asian heavyweights will play on neutral venues or whether Pakistan will travel to India.
Shoaib Malik, who is married to Indian Tennis star, Sania Mirza, was confident that the series will bring much needed boost to relations between the two countries.
The former Pakistani skipper missed the ICC World Cup 2011 as he could not make the squad due to outstanding issues with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee. Pakistan met India in semi-final of the mega event where it won by 29 runs.
The last time Pakistan played India, was incidentally under Shoaib Malik’s captaincy, when the Cornered Tigers toured India for a Test series in 2007.
Despite the olive branch, resumption of cricketing ties between the two countries is still in doubt. Nevertheless, Malik is optimistic and beleives that only cricket can bring the two rival nations together.
Under the ICC’s Future Tours Programme draft for the coming eight years, England will play the maximum number of Tests (99), followed by Australia (92) and India (90), whereas Pakistan will contest 65 test matches.
Matches between Pakistan and India have always drawn massive crowds; however, relations between the two countries deteriorated after India held Pakistan responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008.
If the bilateral series goes as planned, it will be a massive boost for the Pakistan Cricket board in terms of revenue.
Since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, Pakistan has been forced to play their home matches at neutral venues, negatively affecting cricket in the country.
Millions of fans from both countries will be hoping that they get to see the two teams play against each other in a high-octane series in the future
