Former Pakistan cricket team star Basit Ali has proposed an alternative solution in the event that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are unable to reach an agreement on a bilateral cricket series. He suggests that India and Pakistan should consider engaging in bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi.
The longstanding political tensions between the two nations have prevented them from playing a bilateral cricket series for over a decade. This has raised doubts about whether India will participate in the Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan.
In a recent interaction on YouTube, Basit Ali highlighted the global appeal of sports such as javelin, particularly when athletes like Neeraj and Arshad are competing. He emphasized that a javelin series between India and Pakistan would garner immense attention, potentially surpassing the popularity of the India-Australia cricket series.
"Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics; otherwise, it was a certain gold medal for India. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they won't travel to Pakistan, so just conduct a bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi between India and Pakistan in some other country, and you will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger," Basit said.
"When Neeraj and Arshad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television, and the stadium will be full," the former Pakistan cricketer added.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri previously expressed his confidence in the Rohit Sharma-led team's ability to secure a victory in the Test series against Australia. Basit noted that the remarks made by experts from both India and Australia are aimed at generating excitement around the series. He further emphasized that while there may be interest in other cricket series, none can rival the immense popularity of an India vs Pakistan match.
"I think they are trying to create hype. The whole world knows that India vs Pakistan is on one side and everything else is on the other side. Even Ashes isn't that big. So, you are going to hear such statements now," he said.
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