BCCI secretary Jay Shah responds to Ramiz Raja's 4-nation T20I series proposal, calls it 'short-term commercial initiative'
India Today
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said it's important that cricket board chiefs focus on the expansion of the sport and not on "short-term commercial initiative" as he played down Ramiz Raja's 4-team T20I Super Series proposal.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah played down the chances of a 4-nation T20I Super Series among India, Pakistan, England and Australia after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja came up with a proposal for the same in January.
Speaking to Reuters news agency, Jay Shah said the interests of the chief of cricket bodies across the globe should be on expanding the game of cricket and it is more important than "short-term commercial initiatives".
Ramiz Raja said he would propose the 4-national tournament to the ICC and said the profits from such a tournament can be shared on percentage basis with all ICC members. Notably, India and Pakistan have not been playing bilateral cricket since 2012-13 season due to strain in ties between the two neighbouring countries.
However, their matches in ICC tournaments have been generating a lot of buzz, proving to be the marque event in any major tournament. India defeated Pakistan in the group stages of the 2019 World Cup but lost to the arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup last year. India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in the upcoming T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23.
"With the IPL window expanding and the ICC (global) events every year in the cycle, our primary responsibility is to safeguard bilateral cricket at home, with emphasis on test cricket," Jay Shah said.
"I am also looking forward to seeing cricket at the Olympics, as that will help the game grow. Expansion of the sport is a challenge that our game faces and we must prioritise it over any short-term commercial initiative."
Notably, Ramiz Raja had said he thought the 'T20 Super Series' model would be a winner and the matches can be held in each of the 4 countries on a rotational basis.
