Former Pakistan national cricket team spinner Saeed Ajmal has called for the resumption of the bilateral series between India and Pakistan ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The Men in Blue and the Men in Green do not play each other in bilateral series and only meet in International Cricket Council (ICC) events such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy as well as the Asian Cricket Council Asia Cup.
The last time Pakistan visited India was in 2012-13 for a white-ball series, and the last time India visited Pakistan for the Asia Cup was in 2008. However, the last time India visited Pakistan for a bilateral series was in 2005-06. During that tour, India played three Test matches and five One-Day Internationals, winning the ODI series 4-1, while the Test series ended in a 1-1 draw.
Since then, India and Pakistan have not faced each other in bilateral series due to political tensions and poor relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, former Pakistani pacer Saeed Ajmal has said that the rivalry between India and Pakistan is the most intense in world cricket and these two teams should visit each other’s countries for the bilateral series.
“Even if the India-Pakistan match is held on the moon, it will be huge. There is a lot of love between India and Pakistan, and we must visit each other’s countries,” Ajmal said on the sidelines of the launch of the GloFans Secondary Schools Cricket Cup, as quoted by IANS.
Saeed Ajmal’s statement comes ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan in February and March. There are doubts over India’s trip to Pakistan and there are high chances that the Men in Blue will play their matches at a neutral venue.
Saeed Ajmal also called for the promotion of Test cricket amid its decline due to the rise of franchise cricket across the world. He said:
“There is a need to promote long-form cricket (Test). Those who play the longest format can play any other format.”
I like Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma – Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal went on to praise the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Joe Root, Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma. He stated:
“I like Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma, they are good players. Bumrah is a very intelligent bowler and you need intelligence along with speed.”
Recently, Saeed Ajmal also spoke about the god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. Ajmal said that the great Indian player is the most honest cricketer he has ever seen and added that he is worthy of the title of ‘Sir’.
“Sachin is a great cricketer. The most honest and kindest cricketer in the world. He is a legend. I call him Sir. He deserves it. In cricket, when you play, there is nothing like Sir, but I played with him in that match, it is a matter of honour for me. I have bowled him out, it is a matter of happiness for me. I will always remember him and whenever I have played with him, I have played as a human being, with respect,” Ajmal said.
Meanwhile, Ajmal played 35 Tests, 113 ODIs and 64 T20Is for the Pakistan National Cricket Team and took 178, 184 and 85 wickets respectively.