ISLAMABAD, March 14: The chief of Indian cricket board, Jagmohan Dalmia and former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan have appreciated the behavior of crowd in the Karachi match.

Talking to Voice of America, Jagmohan Dalmiya said, "I am not a security expert but I have never witnessed such an orderly and disciplined crowd around the world."

Imran said that such a discipline shows that people of both countries want friendship with each other. He said: "I have never seen such atmosphere in a match between India and Pakistan."

Meanwhile, Indian media hailed the exemplary behaviour of fans in Karachi's national stadium with the Indian Express story headlined: "If this is day one, if this is cricket, just bring it on".

The long-awaited revival of cricket ties between India and Pakistan got off to a dramatic start as jittery nerves affected officials and players alike in front of more than 30,000 fans.

"It's a relief the matches have finally begun," said PCB media manager Samiul Hasan. "When the umpires signalled play, it was a reward for all the hard work everyone has put in to get the series going. "A lot of hard work remains, but the nervousness one felt before this game won't be there."-Agencies