Published 18:30 IST, May 7th 2020
Brad Hogg calls for India-Pak series in December, suggests cancellation of Australia tour
Brad Hogg has suggested a four-match India-Pak series during the Christmas period - two matches in Pakistan and two in India instead of touring Australia
With the Coronavirus outbreak, the world of cricket and other sports has been stalled completely with major tournaments being either cancelled or postponed. Recently, the cash-rich Indian Premier League was also deferred indefinitely with the focus shifting to the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia and its possibility. While countries continue to battle the pandemic and look for a restart, former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has come up with few possible suggestions to resume the game effectively.
The former spinner has called for the ongoing World Test Championship to be cancelled. The debut tournament, in which India currently are at the top, aims at enhancing the competitiveness in the longest format of the game at the end of two years after several home and away series.
In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Hogg stated that audience want to see more of competitive cricket and hence the World Test Championship should be scrapped. Instead of the WTC, he suggested a few series to ignite interest around the world could be played. "The pandemic has opened the door for ultimate cricket rebirth,” said Hogg.
'Public starving for India-Pak series'
Hogg also suggested to cancel India's Test series against Australia later this year and play the Ashes series instead. India is to tour Australia for a Test series during October-November. Speculations of a day-night test being played have also been around the series. Moreover, Hogg has called for an India-Pakistan series. The Australian spinner suggested a four-match series during the Christmas period - two matches in Pakistan and two in India. “We have not seen it (Indo-Pak Test series) for a while and the public is starving for it,” he added. India and Pakistan last played a bilateral series in 2008 and since then have encountered each other only in ICC events and the Asia Cup.
ICC, Cricket Australia to discuss T20 WC
According to reports, ICC is set to hold a teleconference with Cricket Australia on Friday, May 8 to discuss the possibility of hosting the T20 World Cup. The meeting will also discuss the prospect of rescheduling the tournament to 2021. Cricket Australia and ICC had discussed the future of the T20 World Cup on April 23 and CA CEO Kevin Roberts had said that they were working closely with the government guidelines and the ICC. Roberts added that they are exploring all possible outcomes and the CA is expected to convey a similar sentiment on Friday. A source said that a holding statement is the likely outcome of the teleconference with a new chairman coming on board.
Updated 18:30 IST, May 7th 2020