 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The Pakistan Cricket Board is working on a project to host an annual three-nation T20 series with Australia and England in the new Future Tours Program of the ICC which runs from 2023 to 2027.
According to a reliable source aware of the developments, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja is expected to put forward the proposed plan at the ICC meetings scheduled to be held in Birmingham during the Commonwealth Games.
"The board is working on the plan and it is an alternate to the four-nation annual event which was proposed by Ramiz at the last ICC meeting and which didn't get the required support from other members and has been shelved," the source said.
He said given the existing political and diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India and the lukewarm response of the Indian Cricket Board to the four-nation proposal, the PCB has now dropped India from their new plan and just included Australia and England.
"The logistics and ways to find a short window for the tri-series will be worked out soon and Ramiz feels it can be done on an annual basis."
The source said that Ramiz might also use any request from the Indian board to expand the window for its IPL at the ICC meeting to also successfully sell his tri series proposal.
"Ramiz has good personal relations with BCCI chief Saurav Ganguly and other board heads and he is quietly confident the tri-series plan can be executed by next year."
The source said Ramiz had pushed the idea with the top officials of the ECB and Cricket Australia when they were in Pakistan and the response was positive. "Ramiz firmly believes that bilateral series don't appear to have a very bright future in the new FTP."