Pakistan is prepared to play India anywhere. India is not ready to play Pakistan anywhere. That would sum up the present situation.

India has time and again made it clear that since the political atmosphere is not conducive, it is not possible to have cricketing relations with Pakistan. Pakistan's stand however is that it is not desirable to mix cricket with politics and it has repeatedly expressed its willingness to play India on the cricket field. It has said it is even prepared to come to this country if India is not willing to come to Pakistan. It has also expressed its willingness to meet India at a neutral venue. And so exasperated has Pakistan been by India's firm stand that it will not play against its neighbour that Pakistan Cricket Board officials have also hinted that it would not honour the ICC's ten year tour schedule by which each country plays each other at home and away.

It has indeed been a running battle between PCB and BCCI officials over the past month or so ever since the Indian government cancelled its tour of Pakistan scheduled for December-January. The government refused to allow the team to tour Pakistan because of political tensions between the two countries. Since then, the government has refused to review the decision despite pressure from the ICC. The world body in fact threatened sanctions and a financial penalty against India but an unmoved BCCI president AC Muthiah made it clear that he would abide by the Indian government's decision.

There have been charges and denials, allegations and counter allegations and the latest episode was played out on Tuesday.

The director, cricket operations, PCB Brig Munawar Rana told a news agency in Karachi that India had refused to take part in a tri-nation cricket tournament in Malaysia because Pakistan was also one of the participants. "The Malaysian Cricket Association has informed us that the planned tri-series between Pakistan, India and Malaysia has been cancelled because of India's refusal to play," said Rana. According to reports, Malaysia had invited Pakistan and India to join them for a tri-series tournament from January 28 to February 9 in Kuala Lumpur. "They (India) have said that time was short but it is not an appropriate excuse," Rana said, claiming the real reason for India backing out was that they did not want to play Pakistan.

"It's disappointing that India has turned down the invitation because this would have given a tremendous boost to cricket in Malaysia." Pakistan would still love to play India anywhere in the world because the contests between the two generate a lot of interest and following," Rana said. "India's continued refusal to play Pakistan will affect the ICC's 10-year programme because Pakistan will lose financially every time India refuse to come," he added. The ICC plans to finalise the itinerary for the next decade in its meeting next month in Melbourne.

However, Rana said he was optimistic the April triangular series in Sharjah involving Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka would go ahead as planned. "There should be no problem for the tri-series in Sharjah because it is held every year and is planned well before time."

Rana's charges were still fresh when promptly came the denial from the Indian side. "There is no question of us pulling out from the tournament," BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele told a news agency on Tuesday night. "We were just invited to play there but its timing did not suit us. Therefore we did not accept the invitation," Lele said.

Lele went a step further by saying that India was not even aware that Pakistan was also playing in the tournament. "We did not know who the other two parties were," he said.

The Indian government and the BCCI have made it abundantly clear that India- Pakistan matches, at the moment, are a strict no-no. The PCB would certainly have got the message by now but continues to make a noise in the hope that the ICC would take some action against India. It must not be forgotten that ICC president Malcolm Gray made his threat of sanctions and financial penalties against India while on a visit to Pakistan. After all, there is a saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease.

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