Pakistan tour in doubt

The scheduled West Indies tour of Pakistan, less than a month off and already in doubt because of the still unsettled situation in adjoining Afghanistan to the west, became even more unlikely yesterday as a new military conflict simmered with India, its neighbour to the east.

The two cricket-playing nations, bitter enemies since they gained independence from Britain in 1947, again prepared for war over the disputed territory of Kashmir, increasing the possibility that the three Tests and three One-Day Internationals would have to be staged at less tense, neutral venues.

According to an itinerary issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) three weeks ago, the West Indies would arrive on January 25 and play Tests at Rawalpindi February 2-4, Peshawar February 11-15 and Faisalabad February 19-23, and One-Dayers at Lahore February 28, Multan March 3 and Karachi March 6.

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Reverend Wes Hall and chief executive Gregory Shillingford were yesterday reluctant to discuss the issue until hearing from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

But they confirmed they were awaiting an answer to their last correspondence to the PCB on December 12, the day before the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament that prompted the present build-up of troops and artillery on either side of the Kashmir border.

As we have already noted in media statements and in our correspondence with the Pakistan board, we have consistently underlined our commitment to playing the series, but we have also maintained that we have concerns about the safety of Pakistan as a venue, Shillingford said.

Obviously, we are keen to be kept abreast of all developments of which the problem with India is the latest, but we have had no reply, as yet, to our last communication of December 12, he added. Time is getting short and we are anxious to complete negotiations.

Shillingford said there had been no response to the WICB request for a reconnaissance visit by team manager Ricky Skerritt and a West Indies Players' Association representatives to assess the situation for themselves.

In light of the uncertainty in Afghanistan and even more so the escalation of tension over Kashmir, both widely reported in the Caribbean and international media, Hall might find it impossible to justify sanctioning the tour this time.

If the WICB does decide to seek a shift to neutral venues, it would have to seek the approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

At a meeting of all its members in Kuala Lumpur in October, the ICC agreed to let Pakistan, or any other country similarly affected, meet their commitments under its tenyear programme of home-and-away tours at alternative venues.

Cricket in some countries, most notably Pakistan, is in the frontline of world events, ICC president Malcolm Gray said after the Kuala Lumpur meeting. We need to adopt creative solutions to support those affected and to overcome these problems.

PCB chairman General Tauqir Zia claimed at the time that it was safe to play in Pakistan but added that if outside perception is that it is not, then we have to find an alternative venue.

It would be a home fixture so we should have the usual benefits like preparing the pitch, he added.

Shajah, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Arabian gulf, would be the likeliest location. Its stadium has staged more One-Day Internationals than any other ground since it was opened in the early 1980s, but never a Test.