Pak-India Games Bigger Than Ashes: Michael Vaughan

Former England Skipper Michael Vaughan believes Pakistan vs India was the biggest game and not the Ashes

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jan, 2022 ) :Former England Skipper Michael Vaughan believes Pakistan vs India was the biggest game and not the Ashes.

For the longest time many have thought of the Ashes between England and Australia as the biggest rivalry in cricket. However, Pakistan-India cricket matches have usurped that title. The one-sided nature of the recently-concluded Ashes in Australia, only proved that point further. The sort of buzz that Pakistan vs India matches create and the viewership it pulls in, few sporting events can match it. Despite the numbers and the interest that Pak-India matches generate, not many Australian or England cricketers would admit that the Ashes rivalry was now inferior to it.

Vaughan, however, did so and said that the Ashes was "not" the biggest game in world cricket. "I think, we being England and Australia ex-players, we all kind of think of the Ashes as the biggest game in world cricket, it's not! India vs Pakistan is the biggest game. Looking forward to Rohit Sharma being the captain, probably the first time he's going to be under real pressure. It's going to be an epic event," Vaughan said on a Star Sports show as quoted by sports.ndtv.com.

India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry was back in the spotlight after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the fixture list for the Men's Twenty20 World Cup 2022, to take place in Australia from October 16 to November 13.

Like 2021, Pakistan and India have been clubbed together in the same group. India would, in fact, open their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against Pakistan on October 23 at the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Speaking about the Pakistan-India matches, former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist said that India would be fired up for the game.

"Huge rivalry. We all know about that. India will be particularly fired up given what happened back in November where Pakistan registered a 10-wicket victory. So, the rivalry just grows and what a venue to have," Gilchrist said.

It's going to be a repeat of the 2021 T20 World Cup as India and Pakistan met in their tournament opener in Dubai. India were hammered by 10 wickets as Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan gunned down a 152-run target with an unbeaten opening stand.

India were never able to recover from the defeat as they were thrashed by New Zealand in their 2nd Super 12 game. India crashed out of the T20 World Cup without managing to reach the knockout stages of an ICC event for the first time since 2012.