India-Pak. series bigger than Ashes, asserts ICC President

Describing the stalled India-Pakistan series as important for cricket, Abbas insisted that the ICC could do nothing in the matter as it was a bilateral series. India have not played a full bilateral Test series with Pakistan since 2008 when the Mumbai terror attacks took place.

ICC President Zaheer Abbas.

International Cricket Council (ICC) President Zaheer Abbas has considered the stalled series between India and Pakistan ‘bigger than the Ashes’.

Describing the India-Pakistan series as important for cricket, Abbas insisted that the ICC could do nothing in the matter as it was a bilateral series, the Express Tribune reported. While speaking on the absence of international cricket in Pakistan, the 68-year-old said that it was unfortunate that the veteran batsman Younis Khan had to set a new Test record in a home series that is played outside his country. The ICC president added that Pakistan fans were deprived off the chance to watch their heroes playing in their own country.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the PCB and the BCCI, both countries are scheduled to play six series under the 2015-2023 Future Tours Programme, subject to clearance from the Indian Government.

India have not played a full bilateral Test series with Pakistan since 2008 when the Mumbai terror attacks took place.