ECB developing proposal to host Tests between India and Pakistan

The England and Wales Cricket Board is developing a proposal to host Test cricket between Pakistan and India on neutral ground in England.

It has been 15 years since the two countries last played a Test match against each other, and 10 since they last played a white-ball series. Since then, the fixture, which has the highest profile in world cricket, has only taken place when they have been drawn against each other in ICC tournaments. The negotiations are described as a “work in progress” but the ECB board member Martin Darlow has made it clear to both the PCB and the BCCI that England are keen to host the matches if the opportunity arises.

There is a possibility that it may happen anyway if the two teams reach the final of the World Test Championship in 2023, which will be played at the Oval. But that is unlikely since India are currently fourth in the standings, and Pakistan fifth. There is also the 2025 WTC final at Lord’s. But the idea has also been discussed of arranging a one-off Test match between the sides at Edgbaston, and, beyond that, even a three-Test series. The ECB’s offer is motivated by the belief that it is important for the popularity of Test cricket around the world to get the two teams playing each other again.

England previously hosted Pakistan in both Test and T20 series against Australia in 2010, when they were unable to play in their own country after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. The idea of reprising the arrangement fell away when relations between the ECB and PCB soured after the spot-fixing scandal that broke later that same summer. After years of hard work to repair their reputation as an international venue, the PCB’s preference is for any potential India v Pakistan