Michael Vaughan reacts to T20 WC 2022 schedule: Not Ashes, India-Pakistan the biggest game in world cricket

India will lock horns with Pakistan in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne. The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the full schedule of the mega event on Friday (January 21), confirming a blockbuster clash between the two arch-rivals in their respective opening games.

The much-anticipated game is scheduled to take place at the MCG on October 23. India and Pakistan have both been placed in Pool 2 with Bangladesh and South Africa. Reacting to the news of India and Pakistan locking horns once again in a major ICC event, former England captain Michael Vaughan said any India-Pakistan game is bigger than the Ashes.

India and Pakistan share one of the greatest rivalries in cricket but have stopped playing bilateral cricket due to the ongoing political tensions between the two nations. The two teams have continued to meet only in major ICC events since 2013.

Nonetheless, whenever India and Pakistan lock horns at the international stage, it attracts eyeballs across the globe with millions of fans watching in anticipation. While many believe Ashes, which is one of the oldest rivalries in cricket involving England and Australia, is the biggest series in world cricket, Vaughan called India-Pakistan clash the biggest game.

Vaughan, who has himself been part of some of the memorable Ashes encounters, said not Ashes but India-Pakistan clashes are the biggest. 

“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 while speaking to Star Sports.

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In T20 World Cup 2021, Pakistan thrashed India comprehensively by ten wickets to bring an end to their winless streak against the arch-rivals in World Cup history. The Men in Blue, who will be led by Rohit Sharma this time around, will be looking to exact revenge for last year's loss and get their campaign off to a winning start in T20 World Cup 2022.