Bollywood hibernation, and Qasim's secret

The furore continues over a controversial clause in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will allow the BCCI to call off the tour in the event of crowd trouble. Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, dispelled the impression that the tour could be derailed by a minor bottle or stone-throwing incident.

"PCB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and in case of any problem during the tour, both the boards will decide the fate of tour," he said. "The BCCI cannot call off the tour unilaterally."

Rameez Raja, the chief executive, also added his twopenny worth, saying that minor incidents of bottle-throwing happen the world over. A PCB spokesperson, however, gave vent to some of their frustration when he said, "We have been accepting all their demands, which at times are irritating, but we would want the same set of procedures and facilities when we tour India."

And with Pakistan scheduled to tour India next February for three Tests, and three one-dayers, the PCB is also thinking along the lines of an advance scouting group to assess security. With Karachi and Peshawar having missed out on Tests this time round, what price the same happen to Mumbai, especially if the Shiv Sena continue to make the wrong noises?

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After several big releases in January and February, Bollywood - the Mumbai film industry to the uninitiated - is poised to take a breather in March, clearly intimidated by competition from cricket. Ram Gopal Varma's "Ab Tak Chhappan" this week would be the last major release for now, with every man and his dog then turning to the five-match one-day series between India and Pakistan.

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The PCB will ask the Indian cricket board to nominate a list of former legends, from different eras, to attend matches during the series as special guests of the board.

"It is our way of acknowledging the contributions of former Indian legends who have dominated different eras. People like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev," said Rameez Raja, in conversation with Mid-day.

"We have decided to leave it up to the BCCI to nominate players from each era and invite them on our behalf for the series which is such a historic one for both countries," he said.

Raja, though, was coy when asked about plans to invite Bollywood stars.

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Iqbal Qasim, who played a pivotal role in Pakistan's epic 16-run victory at Bangalore in 1987, has revealed how Bishan Singh Bedi helped turn his fortunes around. Not even in the original team for the Test, Qasim got the nod, ahead of Abdul Qadir, only because Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar badgered Imran Khan.

It didn't start well for him. "I was struggling to get wickets in a low-scoring Test," he told Mid-day. "Imran kept on glaring at me from mid-off after every wicketless over on a pitch ideal for the spinners."

A little tete-a-tete with Bedi changed things. "On such a wicket, the more effort you put in, the more it will turn. And neither will you hit the stumps, nor will you get an edge," was the advice given to them, and the next day, Qasim concentrated on hitting one spot on a length. "It worked magic for me," he said.

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