August 4, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 24,1423

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KARACHI, Aug 3: Indian cricket supremo, Jaghmohan Dalmiya, Saturday reacted cautiously in case Australia refuses to tour Pakistan this October.

The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Jaghmohan Dalmiya, told Dawn from Kolkata that he would refrain from issuing any hard-hitting statement and would instead prefer to follow the wait-and-see policy.

“We are not afraid of pleading our case but we should refrain from issuing any statement that may aggravate the situation,” Dalmiya said.

“We should not jump to conclusions and let the time take its course. There is still enough time to talk,” the former chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and now regarded as the most powerful individual in world of cricket.

“The prime objective is that cricket should not suffer,” he added.

India and Pakistan, alongwith Sri Lanka and India, have signed a resolution on the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) platform that all the members would boycott the countries that refuses to tour the ACC member countries.

India, during that meeting in February at Sharjah, had threatened to cancel this year’s tour to New Zealand if the Kiwis didn’t tour Pakistan later that month. The warning had an immediate impact when New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed the tour that was later curtailed because of May 8 bomb blast just outside the team hotel that left more than a dozen Frenchmen killed.

In return, the ACC as well as Pakistan helped India to force suspension of the referees commission that was setup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to probe into the penalties imposed on six Indian cricketers by Englishman Mike Denness during a tour to South Africa late last year.

When informed that Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said in Sydney that he would not impose his decision on the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to tour Pakistan, Dalmiya said: “Now the ball is now back in the court of the ACB. Let’s wait patiently and see how things unfold.”

India’s cautious and carefully worded statement might increase anxiety in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), particularly after Lt Gen Tauqir Zia was questioned if BCCI could be trusted, if required.

“India has signed a resolution and is definitely part of the agreement,” the PCB chairman told reporters at the National Stadium.

But when told India didn’t support Pakistan’s compensation case, Tauqir played down the issue, saying: “Probably because every (ICC) member country would have ended up paying to the affected board from its World Cup profits.”

Pakistan suffered more than $25million losses last year, around $15million alone from India’s withdrawal to cross borders for a three-Test and five-match one-day series.

Australia, by not touring Pakistan, might find itself on tricky wicket if the ACC stands united and determined to honour its Sharjah pledge.

That is because it is upto host Sri Lanka later this year in the tri-nation one-day series that starts Dec 13 and also involves England besides the host nation. Sri Lanka, it is an open secret, has emerged as the most trusted partner by showing shown admiration and support towards Pakistan in difficult times.

It was Sri Lanka who broke the ice and became the first team to visit Pakistan earlier this year after New Zealand and the West Indies had stayed away because of security concerns arising from Sept 11 terrorists attack on the United States.

Prior to that, Sri Lanka had also offered to send its team for a five-match one-day series in October in an effort to help the PCB, in response to the support Pakistan had shown during the 1996 World Cup after Australia and the West Indies refused to play league matches in Colombo citing players safety.

Sri Lanka is again available when required when it agreed to send its `A’ team to Pakistan for a full tour next month.

According to ICC’s Future Tours Programme, India’s tour to Australia is scheduled in December-January 2003-2004 while Australia’s return visit is in Sept 2004.

Pakistan has already indicated that it would take a decision to send its team to Australia in 200 after the ACB confirms its tour scheduled between Oct 1 and 24.