Former Chairman of IPL Lalit Modi have created serious doubts about India’s prospects. Pakistan Summary of bilateral cricket anytime soon citing political interference as the main obstacle.Speaking on former England captain Michael Vaughan’s YouTube show The Overlap Cricket, Modi suggested that strained relations between the two boards continued to hamper any possibility of a series, even at a neutral venue. Modi pointed to what he called growing political influence over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a major concern. He remarked that if the situation had not been “politicized” by external pressure, there might have been “some traction” towards restoring relations.Rejecting suggestions that neutral venues could offer a solution, Modi stressed that the problem is deeper than logistics, rooted in governance and decision-making within the PCB.Modi reiterated that the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon, effectively ruling out the possibility of a bilateral series in the near future. “I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible in the near future, mainly because of the politicking by the Pakistan Cricket Board in Pakistan and unfortunately, that’s the way it is,” he said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.He argued that decisions are no longer being made independently in cricket circles, complicating efforts to organize matches between the two sides. He also expressed concerns about the safety of the players considering the environment of the matches in Pakistan and India.“I was the one who brought the Pakistani players to the IPL and then I had to move them after the 26/11 carnage in Bombay. The problem is that if the Pakistan Cricket Board was independent and run independently, if it was not politically influenced, we would have got some traction. But today the Pakistan Cricket Board has been so politicized by the powers that be and they are politicizing it.” We have tension at that level, at the political level, and it’s not going away. It’s only going to get worse. That’s why I fear the players,” he said.
The last bilateral series between Pakistan and India
The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was in 2013-13, when Pakistan toured India for a limited-overs series consisting of two T20Is and three ODIs. The T20I series ended in a 1-1 draw while Pakistan won the ODI series 2-1. Since then, the two teams have not participated in any bilateral competitions and have only faced each other in ICC tournaments and multinational events like the Asia Cup.
