No communication from Ramiz Raja on his Four-Nation T20I series idea: ICC CEO
Jan 13, 2022
New Delhi [India], January 13 : International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Geoff Allardice, on Thursday said that he has received no communication from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja regarding the four-nation T20I series, involving both India and Pakistan.
Raja on Tuesday had said that he would make a proposal to the ICC about holding a four nations T20I series comprising both India and Pakistan to be held every year. He voiced his opinion that he wants to see India, Pakistan, Australia, and England square off in the T20I series every year. The PCB chief also said that if this series indeed goes ahead, then the profits would be shared on a percentage basis with all ICC members.
"We have not had any correspondence or communication with Ramiz Raja regarding any of the ideas. Till we get more detail on what he is thinking, it is hard to comment. At this stage, we have had no communication with Ramiz Raja regarding his idea," said Allardice during a virtual interaction with select media on Thursday.
Allardice also said that the management of the bio-secure bubble would be a real challenge at the upcoming U19 World Cup, adding that the bio-bubble in place would not be a strict one as the apex cricketing body wants players to enjoy the experience of playing in a World Cup.
The U19 World Cup will get underway in Guyana with hosts West Indies taking on Australia in the tournament opener on Friday, and a concurrent second game between Sri Lanka and Scotland will also take place in Georgetown.
"It's a balance between the risk of catching and passing on the virus versus the freedom that young people are going to be looking for and allow them to enjoy the experience of being involved in an Under-19 World Cup as well. I think the management of that environment over the next few weeks is probably the challenge and being able to react to whatever gets thrown our way," said Allardice.
When asked about the bio-bubble for the World Cup, Allardice said: "We are following a similar model to the Men's T20 World Cup in the way that we manage the type of accommodation that we are using and the COVID-19 testing frequency. We did learn from the experience in the UAE and we have had other events which have been multi-teams competitions."
"I think majority of the squad members from participating countries are vaccinated for COVID-19. The teams play their matches at a reasonable frequency. So you go to the cricket ground, you play your match, you go back to the hotel accommodation, recover, and then a day or two later, you are back again," he added.
