Pakistan asks ICC to intervene

The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the International Cricket Council to "authoritatively" deal with India's refusal to play Pakistan in international cricket.

"If the ICC wants to be held in as high an esteem as other global sporting bodies such as the International Olympic Committee or FIFA, it is about time it acted and resolved such issues clear-headedly and authoritatively," PCB chairman Tauqir Zia said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Indian government, whose relations with their neighbours Pakistan have been strained because of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, made the decision not to send a team to the Asian Test championship on Tuesday.

It was the third time in nine months that the Indian government has not allowed its team to play Pakistan in international competitions.

India pulled out of a Test tour of Pakistan in December last year. They withdrew from a one-day international tournament in Sharjah in April because Pakistan was one of the participating teams.

"If the ICC does not act, the ICC knockout and its 10 year programme would be in jeopardy," Zia added.

The ICC has said it cannot mediate or force India to play Pakistan, as it is purely a political issue between the two governments.

STRAINED TIES

In New Delhi, Indian Sports Minister Uma Bharti defended her government's decision to withdraw from the Asian Test championship, saying the decision was due to strained ties between the countries.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made the decision at a meeting with the country's foreign and home ministers.

"The country's foreign policy is bigger than sports. When we weighed national interest with sports interest we felt the scales tilted towards national interest," Bharti told Aaj Tak television channel on Wednesday.

The Asian Test championship starts next week, with Pakistan hosting Bangladesh. Sri Lanka are also taking part.

Mail Cricket Editor