* 'No India-Pakistan matches until India tours Pakistan'

The India-Pakistan verbal volleying over cricket continued with Pakistan threatening to freeze further ties with India until New Delhi permitted the Indian team to tour Pakistan.

"Pakistan toured India in 1999 although pitches in that country were dug out on that occasion. Now that country (India) must send its team, otherwise there would be no cricket relations with them," Pakistan Cricket Board president Lt Gen Tauqir Zia told PTI.

He said that what was particularly surprising was the Indian government's sudden "volte-face" after their initial commitment towards the Asian Test Championship.

India pulled out of the Asian Test Championship after the union government last week refused to grant the team permission to tour Pakistan to play a Test against their sub-continental neighbours in Lahore from September 13 to 17. The ATC will now go ahead without India.

* Graveney takes on Gough and Stewart

England's chairman of selectors David Graveney has said that players who made themselves unavailable for England's tour of India will not be considered for the tour of New Zealand that was to follow.

Graveney was giving his reaction to the decision of both Alec Stewart and Darren Gough to opt out of England's upcoming tour of India. "The selectors' approach to this issue has been flexible. 'Test-only' contracts for this winter have been offered to certain players to allow them to rest from the One- Day programme and this offer remains on the table. However, the selectors feel it would set a dangerous precedent to allow players to pick and choose which elements of a winter tour they are prepared to undertake."

He suggested that the duo could earn a well-deserved 10-week break by opting out the Zimbabwe tour which will see England play five one-dayers in October. Opting out the India tour and playing in New Zealand as Gough wanted it though would be impossible, he added.

What it translates to is that both Stewart and Gough might have to cool their heels until the home series in Sri Lanka in May 2002. But knowing the paucity of cricketing talent in England it might come as no surprise if the two have their break and play in New Zealand too.

* Long-time KSCA secretary faces the music

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has voted to bar its former secretary C Nagaraj from holding any postion in the association.

Current KSCA honorary secretary and former Test star, Brijesh Patel, made the announcement at the end of a Special General Body meeting convened in Bangalore on Sunday to discuss the findings of a four-member inquiry committee that investigated allegations of financial irregularities against the previous body headed by Nagaraj.

Patel also indicated that KSCA would soon be filing civil and criminal cases against Nagaraj. Nagaraj while giving his reactions to PTI said, "I have not read the resolution copies. All now I can say is that I am the victim of circumstances. It is my misfortune that the organisation which I served for 45 years with distinction and built a monument (KSCA stadium) is treating me like this."

© CricInfo