Indo-Pak cricket: Optimism in the air

KOLKATA: The news of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee receiving an invitation from his Pakistan counterpart to visit that country must have been music to the ears of the Indian and Pakistan cricket board mandarins huddling in a Dubai hotel on Saturday to discuss the resumption of bilateral cricketing ties.
The high-powered meeting of the Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF), which stretched for more than seven hours into the evening, was held on a "cordial" note though things will have to wait till a formal government nod comes along.
Even though the ACF works under the umbrella of Asian Cricket Council (ACC), it’s conclave in Dubai had assumed tremendous significance in view of the way the political wind is blowing in New Delhi over the last couple of days.
Speaking to the TNN from Dubai, BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya said: "It was a beginning, what with our government also indicating that they are keen to resume bilateral sporting ties. However, we were in no position to commit anything."
The possibility of revival of Asia Cup, a jinxed event once Pakistan refused to play even on a neutral venue, now looks a reality even though the representatives of all four nations wracked their heads but failed to find a slot for the event before next February. "Dates seem to be a problem now both for the Asia Cup as well as the revival of bilateral cricketing relations," the BCCI president said.
The four-nation ODI event, the last edition of which was held in Dhaka in 2000, was scheduled to be held from the second week of August in Colombo but it has to be pushed in the backburner at least for now. However, now that Pakistan has decided to concede ground (their refusal to play the Asia Cup was, of course, a direct fallout of India not travelling to Pakistan to play the scheduled Test and ODI series), the other nitty-gritty of reviving the jinxed event may be a matter of time.
Meanwhile, Morocco and Dhaka have emerged as consensus "neutral" venues where the possibility of resumption of the Indo-Pak ties will be taken up in near future. The BCCI had, in a tactical move, submitted a plea to the Union government to allow them to play ball on neutral venues only a few days back and the shift in the government’s stance will only strengthen Dalmiya’s hands in terms of going ahead.