ISLAMABAD: Batting legend Javed Miandad wants to see India-Pakistan play a bilateral series regularly, saying when both teams could face each other in world tournaments, then why not in a regular series.

Talking to APP, he questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), saying when both Pakistan and India could play with each other in the World Cup, the Champions Trophy, the World Twenty-20 and the Asia Cup, then why not in a bilateral series.

Miandad, who played for Pakistan in Tests and One-Day Internationals between 1975 and 1996, said the more we play, the faster it will end hatred between both countries and relations would become smoother.

He stressed that politicians should stop politicising the matter.

Miandad, who was ranked 44th among the best cricketers of all time by the ESPN Legends of Cricket, said, “The India-Pakistan series is even bigger than the Ashes. We (India and Pakistan) can rule the world of cricket if we work and play together.”

Speaking on the International Cricket Council’s decision to convert 2021 Champions Trophy scheduled in India into a World T20 event, finally scrapping the eight-team ODI tournament, Miandad said that it was a good decision as cricket these days was getting faster and people were more interested in watching the shorter format of cricket instead of the longer one.

He added, “However, the ICC must keep a strict eye on match-fixing issues as shorter formats involve a bigger threat of fixing matches.”

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018