ECB chief executive Richard Gould has said he "would love" for England to host a Test match between India and Pakistan, adding that the potential for such an event is "not impossible".
In an interview with BBC Test Match Special during the tea break on day one of the third Test between England and the West Indies, Gould was asked about a number of topics. Among them was the possibility of England acting as a host to facilitate a Test match between India and Pakistan, which has been floated as a possibility over the last couple of years.
In April of this year, it was reported by The Telegraph that several grounds in England including Lord's, The Oval and Edgbaston, were interested in hosting such a match. In response to the question, Gould said: "Everybody would love that. I wouldn't say it's [hosting and India v Pakistan Test] impossible. The politics between the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board are long known, as are the politics between governments. And I find that fascinating.
"We were in Sri Lanka over the weekend for ICC meetings, and you see Pakistan cricket supporters and India cricket supporters getting on so well, but as soon as the political element is put in, it creates issues."
Gould also spoke about the likelihood of the Champions Trophy going ahead in Pakistan as planned next year. The BCCI are reportedly unlikely to send an India side to the tournament if it is hosted in Pakistan. "There's a great deal of determination to make sure it [Champions Trophy] is [hosted in Pakistan next year]," said Gould. "Particularly from the PCB and the ECB."
The Champions Trophy was last hosted in England in 2017, when Pakistan beat India in the final to win the tournament.
Rumour about Matthew Mott's axing 'not true'
Gould also responded to rumours about Matthew Mott's future as England white ball coach. It's been reported in recent weeks that Mott is set to lose his job, following England's loss of both their 50 over World Cup title and T20 World Cup title over the winter.
"No, that's not true," said Gould over whether England had decided to replace Mott. "That's certainly not true, and Matthew Mott is a really good guy, a really good coach, he's got a really good track record, same with Jos [Buttler]. We are always assessing our options, that's what happens in high performance sport, you're always assessing your options, but you never want to be drawn into giving the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that.
"That's what competitive sport is. It always brings scrutiny and decisions. But we'll always make sure we constantly assess our options, but we always want to make sure we're doing the best for the sport and the team and the individuals. I'm not going to be drawn into any kind of vote of confidence because I know where that leads.
"We'll always use whatever time we've got to make the best decisions possible. We won't be pressured into anything other than that."
England's next white ball assignment is a three-match T20I series against Australia in September, which will be followed by a five-match ODI series later in the month.
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