Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), who manage the MCG, and the Victorian government have made informal inquiries to Cricket Australia about hosting a Test match between India and Pakistan in Melbourne after the success of T20 World Cup match played between India and Pakistan in October.
MCC chief executive Stuart Fox reveale that the MCC, as well as the Victoria government, had made an inquiry to CA about hosting a neutral Test venue.
India and Pakistan have not play a Test match against each other since 2007 and have not play against each other in bilateral international cricket outside of World Cups and the Asia Cup since 2013.
As per reports, MCC would love to host these two countries in Test cricket after 90,293 fans came into the MCG to watch the last ball thriller in the T20 World Cup.
BREAKING NEWS : MCC's chief executive on making inquiries about a india-pakistan test at the mcg as MCC and Victoria Government Show Interest.
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Stuart Fox Said :
“Absolutely, 3 Tests in a row would be lovely at the MCG. You’d fill it every time. We have ask,”.
“We’ve taken that up with Cricket Australia. I know the Victoria government has as well. Again, it’s enormously complicated from what I can understand, amongst a really busy schedule. So I think that’s probably the greater challenge”.
“Wouldn’t it be great that it wasn’t just Australia-centric and Victoria-centric, that we’re catering for all the countries and filling the stadium all the time. So we have asked”.
“Hopefully, Cricket Australia keep taking it up with the ICC and keep pushing for it. When you do see some of the stadiums around the world unoccupied, I think it would be much better to have a full house and that atmosphere and celebrating the game with full houses.”
There is currently no bilateral cricket schedule between India and Pakistan on the Future Tours Program between 2023 and 2027.
All there remain tensions about the two sides even travelling to their respective country for the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup in 2023.
As per Cricket Australia spokesperson, Any decision on playing a neutral Test or Test series between India and Pakistan was only in the hands of the BCCI and the PCB, but there would be some interest from Cricket Australia to host a neutral game at a venue in Australia if there was ever an agreement between the two boards.
As per Cricket Australia spokesperson :
“It would be up to the two countries to agree,”.
“But if there was to be a Test between India and Pakistan on neutral territory, we would of course be interested in the opportunity to host it in Australia. The supporters of the two teams here for the World Cup were amazing and the vast majority of those fans live in Australia.”
