The Test rivalry between India and Pakistan can be bigger than that between England and Australia, Shahid Afridi said in an interview with Indian media on Friday.
Talking to NDTV, the former Pakistan skipper said the two countries should resume their cricketing ties for the sake of Test cricket.
“The Ashes series played between England and Australia is considered as the fiercest rivalry but a five-match Test series between India and Pakistan can be bigger than that,” he stated.
India and Pakistan have not played a single Test match against each other since December 2007 due to frosty political relations between the two countries.
Veteran Pakistan batsman Ramiz Raja also seconded Afridi’s views saying that India-Pakistan Test matches will benefit the longest format of the game and players will learn the art of playing under pressure.
“First of all, Pakistan need to up their game against India. India-Pakistan matches will be hot-sellers. If you want to save Test cricket, India and Pakistan have to play each other. It has a different buzz and vibe. Players will learn the art of playing under pressure,” Raja said.
India cut off cricket ties with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Pakistan toured India for a limited-overs series with two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and three one-day internationals (ODIs) from December 2012-January 2013 but full ties were not restored.
After negotiations about the proposed tours failed, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) filed a notice of dispute with the International Cricket Council (ICC) resolution committee in November last year, claiming the 70 million dollars in compensation.
However, the ICC dismissed a compensation claim by Pakistan over India’s refusal to honour an agreement to play bilateral series.
