NEW DELHI: The president of the Board of Control of Cricket in India Madhavrao Scindia has asked the board secretary Jagmohan Dalmiya to check with the Pakistan board the veracity of reports in Pakistan media that their short visit to India next month to Play a one-day series may not come through.
Scindia said that he too has heard of the reports that the projected tour was in danger but as far as he was concerned the tour was on since he had not heard anything to the contrary.
The board president said that he had talked to the president of the Pakistan board Lt.Gen. Zahid Ali Akbar only last week regarding the extra match in aid of the Rajiv Foundation and there was no hint from him on the possible cancellation of the visit.
The board secretary Dalmiya was in the Capital last week to get the visit cleared by the home ministry.
The board has also not yet received government clearance for the Indian team’s visit to Sharjah. Even that could run into trouble in view of the unsavory incidents when India played Pakistan there the last time. The visit is still under consideration at the government level and it will be cleared only if it is satisfied that no untoward incident will recur.
Understandably the Indian board is keen on both the tours in view of its precarious financial position but the Pakistanis have no such compulsions.
PAK P.M. WORRIED: The Pakistan government particularly the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also worried about the tinder box that might erupt when the two countries meet in sports like cricket and hockey what with rising passions among the rival supporters.
Sharif is reportedly against any major sporting contact between the two nations for at least a year when the two governments are trying to improve relations between the two countries.
However the Pakistan governnment is not against visits by individual sportspersons. Pakistanis visited India for the world junior snooker Asia-Pacific bridge world Enterprise regatta and the recent Permit athletic meet events which do not have mass following cricket and hockey. Tests command. Even if the Pakistan government gives the green signal the visit can still not come through unless it is okayed by that supremo of Pakistan cricket Imran Khan who has made no secret of his dislike for playing cricket in the subcontinent in the energy-sapping weather of September-October He is also reportedly unhappy about the proposed visit because his mainline bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis will have little rest before the world cup if they tour Sharjah and then India after the strenuous English country season.
Imran is also said to have his apprehensions about security of his players who could do without the tension of playing cricket looking over the shoulder at every point
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
