Cricket only link for India-Pak -- Imran
UNITED NEWS OF INDIA

DUBAI, NOVEMBER 12: Former Pakistan skipper Imran khan said on Sunday that India and Pakistan must continue playing cricket as it helped defuse tension between the two countries.

``Sporting links between India and Pakistan, specially in the game of cricket, must be strengthened as we have seen in the past that it helps in reducing tension between the countries'', he said.

His statement came at a time when the proposed Indian tour of Pakistan is in limbo. The Indian board is waiting for the government's clearance for the tour beginning in December during which the two countries are scheduled to play three Tests and five One-Day internationals.

Imran, who was here to raise funds for the cancer hospital he has built in Lahore in memory of his mother, said the International Cricket Council (ICC) must share the blame for the mess in which the game of cricket was finding itself in today.

``As the supreme governing body for international cricket, the ICC should have asked the cricket boards of various countries as to what they are doing to deal with match-fixing and betting'', he said.

Imran, who led Pakistan to their World Cup victory in 1992, said ``if the cricket boards of all countries could be honest, only then can we hope to see the game of cricket back to its glory''.

He said he never felt during his playing days that any match was fixed.``When I was captain, we used to win matches from losing positions. So things like match-fixing or betting never crossed my mind'', he added.

Miandad wary of England
LAHORE: Pakistan cricket coach Javed Miandad on Saturday said England may pose a tough fight against Pakistan in the forthcoming Test series and the contest will not be one-sided.

``England has a good team and their recent results show they are on the ascent and have high confidence,'' Miandad told reporters at Gaddafi stadium where England on Wednesday start their first Test on Pakistan soil for 13 years.

``England has a balanced team and their fast bowlers are good,'' Miandad said.

Miandad, however, agrees English batsmen's vulnerability against spinners can be exploited. ``What we observed in the One-Dayers is that their batsmen are weak against spinners and we will exploit that.''

``It's still hard to say who will win the series but we have edge and we will do our best to win,'' Miandad said.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.