Hopefully, India will make their long awaited tour of Pakistan during the 2000-2001 season. Board officials from the two countries have been meeting and talking about reviving cricketing ties which have largely been suspended following the Kargil conflict about a year ago. This intrusion was a pity for it came about just when the two countries had resumed their long interrupted cricketing ties with Pakistan visiting India in 1998-99 for a two Test series and then staying behind for the inaugural Asian Test Championship. Pakistan then were visiting India for the first time since 1986-87.

This marked a turning point for the countries had not met in a Test series since India's tour of Pakistan in 1989-90. Just when cricketing relations seemed to be warming up and it seemed a matter of time before India made the return trip to Pakistan, came the Kargil crisis. This was a setback though the two countries continued to play at neutral venues. Over the last few months however, officials of the two boards have warmed up to each other and there has been serious talk about reviving ties at the Test level. And a major step was taken on Thursday with Pakistan sending India a tentative itinerary for a tour to last from December 26, 2000 to February 12, 2001. Pakistan Cricket Board director of operations Yawar Saeed confirmed that the itinerary, consisting of three Tests and five one day internationals, had been sent to the Indian Board for approval.

But where India and Pakistan are concerned, the proposal of an itinerary and its approval does not automatically mean that the tour is on. Given the sensitive relationship between the two countries, there are other aspects to consider and frequently the cricket boards have had to wait for the nod from the Government to finally make these tours. One's mind goes back to January, 1999 when even after the Indian government had approved the tour and all was set for Pakistan to make the trip, serious doubts were raised whether the tour would actually come off with Shiv Sena activists adopting a strident anti-Pakistan posture, including the digging up of the pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla grounds in New Delhi. Better sense finally prevailed and the tour did take place, but with unprecedented security measures.

On the present occasion too, the revival of bilateral cricketing ties seemed to be in some danger following the unwarranted comments made by the manager of the Pakistan team in Sri Lanka Brig. Md Nasir that the roots of match fixing in cricket in India. ``Indians are to blame for the match fixing issue because all the bookies are from India,'' Nasir thundered in Colombo on Monday. Naturally this irresponsible and lop sided allegation aroused considerable resentment in Indian cricket circles and the Indian Cricket Board, reacting sharply to Nasir's statement, said it would protest to the PCB. But Saeed on his part refused to comment on Nasir's controversial remarks. Apparently he did not want to say anything that might aggravate the situation. For, despite Nasir's untimely outbursts, there is little doubt that officials of the two boards are very keen that the cricketing ties at the Test level be resumed at the earliest with India making the tour of Pakistan during the coming season.

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