England "offers" to be neutral venue for Indo-Pak Test series, BCCI "not interested"
London, Sep 27: England and Wales Cricket Board has informally offered to be the hosts if India and Pakistan plan to play a bilateral Test series but BCCI sources said chances of that happening in near future is "next to nil".
The UK daily 'Telegraph' reported that "Martin Darlow, the deputy chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has held talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board during the current Twenty20 series and offered England's grounds as venues for ideally a three-match Test series in future."
While the ECB has made the offer for its own commercial gains, the powers that be in the BCCI laughed off the suggestions and said that no such possibilities might arise at least in next few years.
"Firstly, ECB spoke to PCB about an Indo-Pak series and that's a bit weird. In any case, a series against Pakistan is not something that the BCCI will decide but it is the decision of the government. As of now, the stance remains the same. We only play Pakistan at multi-team events," a senior BCCI official privy to India's position told PTI on Tuesday.
India and Pakistan last played a short bilateral white-ball series back in 2012 in India and the last Test series dates back to 2007.
With the tense political relations between the neighbours, it is a big 'No' from BCCI irrespective of whether it is played at home, away or a neutral venue.
The newspaper states precisely the reason why ECB made the "generous offer".
"The matches would attract big crowds in the UK, which has a large ex-pat south Asian population," it said.
"The matches attract huge sponsorship revenue and television audiences."
However, the paper made it clear that even "PCB is not keen on playing India at neutral venue but are grateful for the ECB's offer, which shows the growing relationship between the two boards."
It stated that with the big nations again starting to tour Pakistan, it will be a "retrograde step in their eyes" if they happen to play on a neutral venue.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
