'Cricket Diplomacy': Ahead of high-stakes clash, Moin Khan advocates for restoration of India-Pakistan bilateral matches

New Delhi [India], February 22 (ANI): Former wicketkeeper batter Moin Khan has advocated for restoring bilateral matches between India and Pakistan ahead of the blockbuster clash between the two sides in the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
The future of the Champions Trophy was uncertain when India refused to travel to Pakistan for the marquee event, and the PCB maintained an adamant stance about hosting the entire tournament in their nation.
The deadlock was eventually broken when both sides agreed to play the India-Pakistan matches on neutral venues in future ICC events. With top sides travelling to Pakistan for the highly competitive tournament, Moin feels India's decision to not travel to Pakistan is disappointing.
"Unfortunately, the Indian cricket team is not coming to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. When all the top teams are coming for this mega ICC event, then why can't India?" Moin told Telecom Asia Sport.
"I assure you that millions of fans here are eager to watch live mega stars like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Rishab Pant and others in Lahore and Karachi, but it is really sad that they have not come to Pakistan this time," he added.
Due to strained political relations between the two nations, India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, when they participated in the Asia Cup.
The two arch-rivals last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 in India, comprising white-ball matches. After that, India and Pakistan have primarily faced each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.
While India has refrained from crossing the border, Pakistan has visited India twice for the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Moin believes cricket diplomacy could be the key to unlocking the bilateral relations between the two neighbouring nations.
"Pakistani and Indian cricketers have mostly enjoyed a great camaraderie off the field while they have been fierce rivals on it. We have shared some great moments on and off the field, and I have a lot of fond memories of those days," he said.
"I strongly feel the people and officials from both nations, as well as the two boards, should adopt cricket diplomacy to make things work and help resume Pak-India bilateral matches regularly," he added. (ANI)