"Politics should stay away from sport" - Ramiz Raja believes 'a lot of work needs to be done' to revitalize Pakistan-India cricketing ties

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja hinted that he doesn’t foresee a bilateral series between arch-rivals Pakistan and India in the near future. Raja pressed on the need for the cricketing bodies of the two nations to create a bond, keeping politics separate.

The last time India and Pakistan played a bilateral series was in 2012. Their meetings have been limited to ICC tournaments in the ensuing nine years.

Speaking to PCB’s official website, Ramiz Raja confirmed that he had a good discussion with BCCI’s top authorities, Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah, on the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting. However, he felt that a comfort level had to form before the cricketing relationship was revitalized.

“A lot of work needs to be done to revitalize Pakistan-India cricket but there needs to be some comfortable level between the two boards and then we can see how far we can go. So overall, we had a good discussion.”

“I met with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah on the sidelines of the ACC meetings. We need to create a cricketing bond, while I have also believed that politics should stay away from sport as much as possible and this has always been our stance,” Ramiz Raja said.

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Ramiz Raja confirms the Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan will be a 50-over tournament

Pakistan are set to host the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup.

Ramiz Raja confirmed that the Asia Cup, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in 2023, will be a 50-over competition. He has immense hope of hosting a well-organized tournament which will be vital for Pakistan’s chances of becoming a venue for international cricket in the future.

“The ACC has agreed and approved that the 2023 event in Pakistan will be a 50-over competition and will be held in September. This aligns very nicely with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in October and November (in India). We are looking forward to hosting this tournament in Pakistan and I am confident it will be a well-organized event because this is what the fans want.”

Though Pakistan has been selected as the host nation, it remains to be seen if the tournament will actually be played there. This is primarily because the chances of India traveling there remain bleak.

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"I would like to see our relationship with other boards and the ACC to be strong" - Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja wants the ACC to become a stronger body to wield more power in the global game

Ramiz Raja reiterated the need for a body like ACC to transform into a stronger self with more cooperation among the member boards. He believes the ACC should be able to wield a stronger arm in cases of its members facing a setback, just like what happened Pakistan faced recently with New Zealand and England withdrawing unilaterally from their tours.

“I would like to see our relationship with other boards and the ACC to be strong so that if there is an issue like we had with the withdrawal of a couple of sides, a strong and joint statement could come out from the ACC platform. My message at the ACC was that we should not forget this philosophy and I am optimistic there will be better outcomes in future.”

The ACC currently has 25 cricket boards as its members. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah currently heads the Board in the capacity of President of ACC.

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