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Ever since Ramiz Raja has taken over as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), he has been really vocal. The former Pakistan captain does not shy away from uttering bold comments on topics. Also, he has been working tirelessly towards the development of cricket in the country. He also has faced hurdles like teams pulling out of their tours to Pakistan midway, but he managed to convince Cricket Australia to send its players for an all-format series to Pakistan.
Now, with the series still underway, Raja has shifted his focus towards making a four-nation series including India and Pakistan successful. He had talked about it a few months ago and it was reported that he has also approached the ICC with the same proposal. Although, ICC denied such claims. it is confirmed that Raja has such plans.
The main motive behind this series is to make India and Pakistan play against each other than in ICC tournaments. As both countries don't play bilateral series anymore, the PCB Chief is determined to make it possible. Thus, he wants to take up this issue with BCCI Prez Sourav Ganguly at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Dubai on March 19.
"I will talk to Sourav Ganguly about it when we meet for the ACC meeting in Dubai. Both of us are former captains and players and for us cricket is not about politics," said Raja while talking to reporters at the National Stadium in Karachi. "Even if India does not go with us on this proposal, we will think about launching an annual three-nation event with Australia and England in Pakistan," he added.
BCCI not interested in short-term financial incentive
While the PCB Chief looks all determined to make this four-nation series possible, the BCCI is not keen on entertaining any short-term financial incentive. A few months ago, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had shot down Raja's proposal by saying that the Indian cricket board is focused on the globalization of the game rather than a short-term incentive.
"With the IPL window expanding and the ICC (global) events every year in the cycle, our primary responsibility is to safeguard bilateral cricket at home, with emphasis on test cricket," he had told Reuters.
"I am also looking forward to seeing cricket at the Olympics, as that will help the game grow. Expansion of the sport is a challenge that our game faces and we must prioritize it over any short-term commercial initiative."