JEDDAH, 18 January 2004 — Former India off-spinner Arshad Ayub made his pitch for the resumption of Indo-Pak cricketing ties, as rumblings for increased security emanated from the Indian players camp.
Ayub was of the view that the restart of the series during March-April of this year will prove conducive to the peace moves already begun by the leaders of both countries. “It will be good for peace, and as a spinoff will be beneficial for both not only on the cricket field but in other areas too,” he said.
Cricket could be the means to further contacts between the two nations and lauded the decision of the two countries of renewing ties in many fields at a press conference here yesterday. Ayub is in the Kingdom with his family to perform Haj.
“Matches should be played on a regular basis and it will kindle more interest than the Ashes series that have generated for Australia and England. The cricketing authorities in both nations should name the series after the two great fast bowlers of the subcontinent — Imran Khan and Kapil Dev — and call it the Imran-Kapil Trophy,” he said.
“An Indo-Pak cricket series is keenly watched, at all levels, and modern-day cricket has evinced sharper focus in every aspect of the game. And nothing is greater to watch than a series between these two teams. If tensions are reduced the spectacle gains great entertainment value and there will all-round benefits. Nothing will be more classic to watch than the teams battling for a trophy named after the two legends,” he added.
Arshad was all praise for Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly, who, he claimed, has molded a cohesive fighting unit.
“The optimism in the camp and the fighting spirit on the field has largely been motivated by Ganguly, who has led by example. This is one of the reasons why India performed well in Steve Waugh’s farewell series Down Under recently. Of course individual performance counts, but the team jelling as a unit was a pleasant sight to see,” he said.
He said Irfan Pathan will emerge as the new fast-bowling hope for India and his inclusion in the team so early in his career shows vision by the BCCI.
“If Pathan and Zaheer, along with Agarkar and Nehra come good then India’s bowling woes could well be settled,” he added while stating that was one department India needed to shore up.
“The services of Pakistan’s ace reverse swing bowler Wasim Akram, if he agrees, will be ideal for the team which has three left-arm pace bowlers. But the young lads can still benefit from Wasim’s advice, as Nehra has been doing,” he said, adding that another young pacer, Munaf Patel, was waiting in the wings to join the Indian team. “He needs yet another two to three years to mature,” he said.
Ayub, who has played 32 One-Day Internationals and picked up 35 wickets and 13 Tests with 42 wickets in his credit, rued the fact that the current rash of ODIs has led a severe cut in the crop of spinners in the subcontinent.
On former Indian captain Azharuddin, he said: “Azhar is basically a good person and always had a ready smile even when things were sticky during his tenure as captain. He is now going through a phase but I feel that the board (BCCI) should use his services as a coach. When the current court cases are settled, then I think the board will definitely call on him.”
He also appreciated the role played by Central Cricket Control Board, of which Jeddah Cricket League is a member, in propagating cricket in Saudi Arabia.
He lauded the efforts of JCL for the last 28 years and hoped that they could continue to support the game here and take Saudi Arabia into the international fold.
