'A lot of work needs to be done to revitalise Pakistan-India cricket,' Ramiz Raja says

• Ramiz Raja says he had a good discussion with BCCI chairman.
• He says Pakistan will host 50-over ACC Cup in September 2023.
• "We are looking forward to hosting this tournament in Pakistan."

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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja said Mondy a lot of work was needed to be done in a bid to revitalise Pakistan-India cricket.

“I met with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah on the sidelines of the ACC meetings," he said while speaking to PCB digital following his return from Dubai.

"We need to create a cricketing bond, while I have also believed that politics should stay away from sports as much as possible and this has always been our stance," he said.

There needs to be some comfort level between the two boards and then we can see how far we can go, he said, adding overall, a good discussion was held.

The PCB chairman said the 2023 ACC Cup in Pakistan would be a 50-over competition. “The ACC has agreed and approved that the 2023 event in Pakistan will [...] will be held in September. This aligns very nicely with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in October and November.

“We are looking forward to hosting this tournament in Pakistan and I am confident it will be a well-organised event because this is what the fans want," he said.

“The ACC has also confirmed next year’s tournament in Sri Lanka will be played on a 20-over format and will be a prelude to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be held in Australia from 16 October to 13 November.”

“The ACC was set up to create a unified approach and collective stance so that we had one voice and if there was a situation, all stood together. I would like to see our relationship with other boards and the ACC be strong so that if there is an issue like we had with the withdrawal of a couple of sides, a strong and joint statement could come out from the ACC platform," he added.