Melbourne Cricket Ground To Host First India vs Pakistan Test Match Since 2007?

A record 90,293 people attended the IND vs PAK T20 World Cup encounter at the MCG earlier this year.

Team India (L) and Pakistan line up for the national anthems during the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match between India and Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on October 23, 2022.

Source : WILLIAM WEST / AFP

In a news that could be a delight for lovers of the much-celebrated cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan, the Melbourne Cricket Club, who manage the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) along with the Victorian Government has inquired Cricket Australia about the possibility of hosting a Test match between India and Pakistan. Such a move is being mulled after the blockbuster of a T20 World Cup game between the two South Asian rivals at the same venue on October 23, 2022.

MCC chief executive Stuart Fox has himself revealed in a conversation with SEN radio on day four of the second Test between Australia and South Africa about their interaction with Cricket Australia on the possibility of hosting this neutral Test match. It is worth highlighting that the two teams haven't faced off in a Test match since 2007 and do not play limited-overs bilateral cricket either. India vs Pakistan rivalry is thus restricted to Asia Cup, T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy fixtures owing to their tensed political relationship.

It would be much better to have a full house: Stuart Fox

"Absolutely. Three [Tests] in a row would be lovely at the MCG. You'd fill it every time. We have asked," Fox said on SEN radio.

"We've taken that up with Cricket Australia. I know the [Victoria] government has as well. Again, it's enormously complicated from what I can understand, amongst a really busy schedule. So I think that's probably the greater challenge," he added.

"Wouldn't it be great that it wasn't just Australia-centric and Victoria-centric, that we're catering for all the countries and filling the stadium all the time. So we have asked," he further said.

"Hopefully, Cricket Australia keep taking it up with the ICC and keep pushing for it. When you do see some of the stadiums around the world unoccupied, I think it would be much better to have a full house and that atmosphere and celebrating the game with full houses," he stated.

A record 90,293 people attended the IND vs PAK T20 World Cup encounter at the MCG. It could have been a repeat of the same in the finals but India lost their semifinal match to the eventual champions England who in turn defeated the Men in Green in the summit clash. As it stands, there is no bilateral cricket scheduled between the two neighbouring countries in the Future Tours Program between 2023 and 2027.