Pakistan board wary of another no-show by India

Worried that India's tour of Pakistan, scheduled for February-March 2004, might not materialise, the Pakistan board has already started planning for an alternate series. According to a report in the News International, a Pakistan-based news website, the PCB is likely to wait till October before taking a decision on this issue.

The Indian team was scheduled to play a Test series in Pakistan in April this year, but the tour was cancelled after the Indian government refused to sanction it. The report quoted a PCB source as saying that the Pakistan board was now preparing for precisely such an eventuality. "This time the PCB is making arrangements to avoid another cancelled tour and loss of revenues if the Indian government does not change its policy on cricketing ties with Pakistan.

"By October the scenario would be clear if there are realistic chances of India coming to Pakistan. And if the chances are dim, then the Pakistan board will ask ICC to arrange for alternate teams to tour Pakistan in place of India or arrange for compensation."

The boards of both countries have expressed the desire to resume cricketing ties - the PCB had even suggested one one-day international in each country to break the ice - but the Indian government has steadfastly maintained that the two teams can play each other only in multi-lateral tournaments. The last time a bilateral series was played between the two teams was in 1998-99, when Pakistan toured India for a two-Test series. The two teams have since played ODIs in England, Australia, Sharjah, Dhaka and, most recently, in the World Cup in South Africa.

However, three tournaments for the junior cricketers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been lined up, with each country hosting one tournament. The first of these will be held in Sri Lanka next month, while Pakistan get their turn in August. India will host the last tournament early next year. It is believed that these matches have been introduced to check the feasibility of resuming cricketing ties between the senior teams.