18 February 2004	Wednesday	26 Zilhaj 1424

THE politicians taketh it away and the politicians return it. Cricket ties between Pakistan and India have always been at the mercy of governments who, in turn are spurred on, not by principles but expediency. On this stage, the cricket boards are merely actors with walk-on parts.

India's tour of Pakistan was a close call, too close for comfort and it would appear needed the intervention of Mr Vajpayee and if this be the case, well played Mr Vajpayee. There is a huge relief on both sides of the border.

There is no doubt in my mind that had the tour been cancelled, it would have swept away the other confidence building measures that are being initiated. And another 14 years would have elapsed before an Indian cricket team would have come to Pakistan.

The visit of an Indian security team was a side-show. The fate of the tour was not in its hands. How can three gentlemen poke and prod at cricket grounds and hotels and decide on security? The Pakistan government, in its own interest, will make sure that the security arrangements will be as fool-proof as is humanly possible.

Just as the Indian government did when the Pakistan team toured India in 1999. No one doubts the existence of a lunatic-fringe in both countries. To give in to its intimidation is to accept that the inmates have the right to take over the asylum.

The tour programme has not been finalized, as I write this. The delay is hard to understand. If a venue is safe for an ODI, it is safe for a Test match. The fact that a team has to stay longer at a city for a Test match has nothing to do with security.

Wherever the Indian team plays, there will be no relaxation in the security and there are straws in the wind that indicate that Karachi and Peshawar may not get Test matches.

This is what is known as babu-logic. When I was working for PIA, I once sent a proposal to the chairman for his approval, which I duly got. Since the proposal had financial implications, it went to the finance department who raised an objection: "Although the chairman has approved, it is not clear what he has approved."

I got the Finance Director on the telephone and asked him whether he thought that the chairman was a bloody fool. The objection was withdrawn post-haste. If there any objections to the itinerary, and there shouldn't be any on security grounds, they should not be on venues.

Their selection fall within the purview of the host. The bigger picture is that the tour is on and there shouldn't be any nit-picking now.

How goes our team preparation? It is going well because Wasim Bari has put his foot down and said that playing in domestic cricket is a pre-requisite to selection.

Even when the training camp gets under way, players involved in domestic tournaments should be released to play for their teams for there is no substitute for time in the middle.

I am glad that Imran Khan will be spending some time with the players. His advice will be invaluable and I am sure that he will exhort the players, as he used to do when he was the skipper, not to be over-awed by the occasion or intimidated by the opponents.

Wasim Akram too should be brought in and he should give some guidance to the bowlers like bowling in a channel on the off-stump and not spray it about and the fast bowlers should use the bouncer as a surprise weapon and not as a stock-ball.

I hope the PCB has been able to get the trainer. There is no point in selecting the best team if the players are not fit. The players have to start the tour as fit players and remain fit.

I had also recommended a fielding coach. The Australians, the South Africans and the New Zealanders have taken fielding to a new zone. The Indians too have worked on their fielding. They are holding their catches and making a damn good fist of the half-chances. They look a fairly sharp outfit.

What a tragedy it would be if we are let down by our fielding. A team has work on its fielding all the time, it's like brushing one's teeth. It should be routine. The team surely knows that there will be huge pressure on it.

One needs mental toughness to handle the pressure but one should also be supremely fit and if a team is fielding exceptionally well it is a sure sign that it is mentally and physically well prepared. Sloppy fielding, on the other hand, is a sign of sloppy preparation. We need to cover all the bases.

Some people have expressed the fear that India may not send a full-strength team and some of the stars may chicken out. That's not our problem. It won't devalue the series and it will still be Pakistan versus India and the cricket public in both the countries will see it that way.

There is a healthy respect for all Indian cricketers and a special respect for Sachin Tendulkar. He made his Test debut in Pakistan in 1989-90. He was a cub then. He will be returning as a lion.

He should not worry. He has many admirers in this country and will be cheered whenever he comes to bat. We want to see him play and make runs but not too many, enough to show his genius but enough to win the match off his own bat as he regularly does.