'Playing home series offshore will undermine all the hard work done' - PCB source on playing bilateral series against India in England

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made headlines on Tuesday after the apex cricketing board floated the idea of hosting an India-Pakistan bilateral Test series in England. The offer was reportedly made to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja, who turned the proposal for the time being. According to the latest development from a PCB source, the board is against the idea, since playing a bilateral series at a neutral venue will diminish their reputation, undermining all their recent hard work.

England’s Telegraph reported on Tuesday that Martin Darlow, ECB deputy chairman, held talks with the PCB during the ongoing T20 series between Pakistan and England, proposing English stadiums as venues for ideally a three-Test series between India and Pakistan in the future. The idea was instantly rebuffed by the Asian giants, sighting it as a retrograde step.

Renowned Pakistani journalist and writer Saj Sadiq, on Wednesday, revealed that the PCB are not too keen on the idea of engaging in a bilateral series on neutral venues as it will rescind all the hard work of hosting home series in Pakistan only. He broke the news via a post on Twitter.

"PCB source responding to the offer from ECB "if we play our home series against India offshore, it will potentially undermine all the hard work we have put in since May 2015 to ensure that our home series are played in Pakistan," his post read.

PCB source responding to the offer from ECB "if we play our home series against India offshore, it will potentially undermine all the hard work we have put in since May 2015 to ensure that our home series are played in Pakistan" #Cricket

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) September 28, 2022

'It is the decision of the government, BCCI official on a potential India-Pakistan series

Meanwhile, a senior BCCI official laughed off the suggestion and stated that it is unlikely that a bilateral series will take place between the two sides will take place in the near future. He stated that the neighbors will only square off in 'multi-team events' for the time being.

“Firstly, ECB spoke to PCB about an Indo-Pak series and that’s a bit weird. In any case, a series against Pakistan is not something that the BCCI will decide but it is the decision of the government. As of now, the stance remains the same. We only play Pakistan at multi-team events,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by a media outlet on Tuesday.