MOHALI, India, 8 March 2005 — Cricket is no more a borderline case as far as Pakistan and India are concerned. Since the resumption of their relationship with a series in 14 years between the two last year in March, the governments have traveled a long way down the corridor of peace to cement their age-old hot-cold relationship. Cricket certainly has played a huge part in this to bring people of the divided land dispel all the misunderstanding created due to years of political feud.

The series in India consisting of three Tests and six one-day matches is the continuation of that bridge-building process. Like last year in a series in Pakistan thousands of people had crossed over from India by land and air to witness the spectacle, the present series is no different as Chandigarh the capital of Punjab and Haryana and Mohali the venue of the first Test starting today is buzzing with excitement.

Thousands have come over across the border from Lahore to see the two once again do battle. India in their last encounter in Pakistan won their first ever series on Pakistan soil in a close series. Pakistan since first visiting India from 1952 onwards have won only one Test series here in 1987 when Imran Khan was the captain.

Pakistan now are a much weaker side having lost the stinging pace of Imran, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and the batting is not as much formidable when Javed Miandad and the likes of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail ruled the batting line-up or Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed did at the same time.

India with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Virendar Sehwag and the bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh certainly have the edge especially when Pakistan without their strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar will have to rely on Mohammad Sami, Abdul Razzaq and Naved-ul-Hasan and spinner Danish Kaneria.

The wicket at Mohali has green top but it may be shaved on the morning of the match but surely it will seam to help the fast bowlers at least for the first hour. Only five Tests have been played on this venue and India has won one against England in 2001 and lost one against the West Indies in 1994-95.

That does not mean that a result will not be possible. In modern day cricket most of the Test matches end up with a win or loss.

Pakistan are certainly the underdogs but they have this uncanny ability to surprise their critics. This certainly is not going to be a one sided series. More than the match it is a series considered to be the greatest show on planet-cricket because of the interest it generates, emotions sway on either side of the border as wicket falls or a four struck.

With Australia beating England in the last six successive Ashes series, that gloss is gone between England and Australia and an encounter between India and Pakistan is now considered to be the ultimate.

Let us hope it fits the bill and the two nations carry on peacefully with the help of cricket as the binding force.

Teams:

India — Saurav Ganguly, Virendar Sehwag, Rahul Darvid, Gautum Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar,VVS Laxman, Kartik, Zaher Khan, Irfan Pathan,Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Laxmipathy Balaji.

Pakistan — Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar, Younis Khan, Asim Kamal, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Naved-ul-Hasan, Danish Kaneria and Yasir Hameed.

ICC to Leave Lord’s for Dubai

AFP adds: The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed yesterday it would be quitting London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground, its home for 96 years, and relocating its main office to Dubai in August. In a statement from London, cricket’s world governing body said it would also be moving its financial center from Monaco to the United Arab Emirates capital.

ICC president Ehsan Mani said: “Over recent years the ICC has operated from split headquarters, with the cricket administrative and anti-corruption elements in London and the commercial and financial operations in Monaco.

“The Board has been committed to unifying its administration for some time and after considering a range of offers from around the world, the directors were of the view that Dubai provided the best way forward for the international game,” the Pakistani head of cricket’s world governing body added.

“The package on offer to relocate the ICC to Dubai was very attractive and preparations are now in an advanced stage to move to the emirate in August this year.”

Initially, the ICC will be located at Dubai Media City for two years before building and occupying its own premises in Dubai Sports City. The move follows the ICC’s decision to base its Global Cricket Academy at Dubai Sports City and sees the organization become the latest global sporting body to quit the UK, after athletics, rugby union and badminton among others, because of tax reasons.

Six other site options were discussed in June at the ICC’s annual general meeting but on the eve of the vote UK Sport, Britain’s national sports funding agency, at the behest of Lord’s owners Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), intervened with a letter that stated the British government would be prepared to grant concessions.

However, when the budget statement was made, these were not mentioned and UK Sport apologized.