3 countries that have offered to host India vs Pakistan bilateral series

It has been nearly a decade since India and Pakistan last faced each other in a bilateral series. The last time the two teams faced off in a bilateral was in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India. They played three ODIs and two T20Is, and while the visitors won the ODI series by 2-1, the T20I series ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

The last Test series between these two teams took place in the 2007–2008 season, with India taking the three-match series 1-0 at home. Since the Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008, India has not traveled to Pakistan. India and Pakistan have since played each other only in continental tournaments and World Cups.

But the craze for India-Pakistan games is higher than in any other encounter. There are many big rivalries in cricket, but none like India and Pakistan. The encounters are no less than a festival in the two countries. But because the two teams don’t travel to each other’s countries, there have been instances where other countries offered to host the two teams for bilateral series.

Let us look at three countries who offered to be the host for Indo-Pak bilateral clashes-

3. Sri Lanka (2017)

Back in 2017, Thilanga Sumanathipala, the then President of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, had asked India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his approval to host the India-Pakistan bilateral series at the island nation.

 "I met Mr. Narendra Modi at BMICH (Bandarnayaka Memorial International Conference Hall) and conveyed the message to him to consider playing against Pakistan. Not only Pakistan is suffering. India is losing when Pakistan is not playing India as much as Pakistan is losing if India is not playing them. I have requested Mr. Modi either to allow both play in Dubai or Sri Lanka,” he had said.

But the deal was never successful, as no further actions were taken after Thilanga Sumanathipala’s statements. But ever since the conflicts, India and Pakistan have never played a bilateral series at a neutral venue and the two teams continue to clash in tournaments like the Asia Cup or the World Cup.