‘Ek aur India vs Pakistan game dekhenge’ – Fans react as Pakistan set to feature in Road Safety World Series

The Road Safety World Series (RSWS) which features former international stars is set to feature a team from Pakistan for the very first time. The third season of the unique T20 League is scheduled for September 2023 and will be played in England for the first time. As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, the England and Wales Cricket Board has given its approval for the conduct of the league that was first held in March 2020. The first two editions took place in India.

The final schedule for the 2023 edition is still awaited. But it has been confirmed that it will take place in September. It will start early in the month and is expected to sustain for around three weeks. Nine teams will take part in the league this season opposed to eight in the last season. The one addition is the team from Pakistan.

Pakistan did not take place in the first two editions of RSWS

The first edition of the league took place in 2020 and 2021, split due to the COVID-19 break while the second edition took place in 2022. There was not a team from Pakistan participating in the first two editions that took place in India due to strained relationships between the two nations. Notably, since the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai also known as the 26/11 attacks, there have been no bilateral series between the two nations. The arch-rivals have only faced each other in major competitions like the World Cup or the Asia Cup.

The tournament has been a superhit among older cricket aficionados as it features old icons of the game like Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shane Watson, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Yuvraj Singh, along with Brian Lara, Jonty Rhodes, Shane Bond, and many others. The first season saw participation from India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies Australia, and Bangladesh. The second season saw New Zealand join the roster. This season, Pakistan is expected to join as the eighth team. It is yet to be known if there would be any changes in the other participating teams.

Here’s how fans reacted:  

https://twitter.com/proudindian3007/status/1687731176465969152