Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has asked the cricket authorities in India and Pakistan to resume a bilateral series between the neighbouring countries just like the Ashes between England and Australia.
Saqlain stated, “I personally feel that India and Pakistan should start a series on the lines of Ashes. But lets wait for the ties to resume first.”
The wily spinner also gave his views on India’s tour to England, stating that it was a team failure. He added, “It was the failure of the team and you cannot just blame the spinners. You didn’t have runs on the board and, in such scenario, the spinners can’t gamble. The conditions were pacer-friendly and, as one saw, it was the pacers who did the trick for the hosts. So, I don't think it would be right to blame the spinners alone.”
The Men in Blue failed to win even a single game on the British tour. They lost the Test series by 4-0 followed by defeats in the Twenty20 and the One Day International (ODI) series by 1-0 and 3-0 respectively.
This dropped the Indian team to number three in the ICC Test team rankings and five in the 50-over format.
However, the MS Dhoni led side will be looking forward to a home series against England next month, which will give them a chance to settle the scores.
According to the sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), there is also a possibility of India hosting a complete series against arch rivals Pakistan in March/April, 2012.
There has been no bilateral series between Pakistan and India since late 2007. However, fans worldwide will be expecting things to get better this time and see the Asian giants fighting for glory against each other once again.
The political ties between both countries have improved in the recent times and the fans might get some good news in the coming months.
Although both countries are willing to go head to head once more, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt has asked the BCCI to play in a Pakistan hosted series before the Men in Green tour their neighbouring country.
