Asia Cup to shed legacy of political jinx

Asia Cup to shed legacy of political jinx

Sandeep Nakai, Associated Press, Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Asia Cup limited-over cricket tournament - resuming after a four-year gap due to strained relations between India and Pakistan - is seeking to shed its legacy of political stumbling blocks.

Pakistan takes on Hong Kong in Friday's tournament opener in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, while India opens its campaign against United Arab Emirates in the central town of Dambulla.

Plagued by a spate of politically motivated team withdrawals, the tournament has often been left with an empty field during its two-decade history.

However, the Asian Cricket Council is trying to squeeze in the Asia Cup after a recent thaw in India-Pakistan relations saw Sourav Ganguly's Indian team make its first full Pakistan tour in March and April.

"It augurs well for Asian cricket that cricket tours between India and Pakistan have resumed," said Council Chief Executive Ashraful Haq.

"Strained relations between India and Pakistan caused the delay in staging the Asia Cup, but we're glad to have the full field this time," Haq said. "Hopefully, all that is behind us."

Cricket powerhouses Pakistan and India have hundreds of millions of cricket-crazy fans, but the nuclear-armed neighbors have been locked in a bitter political feud for decades.

Haq - defending the decision not to hold the tournament for four years - said "an Asia Cup without India or Pakistan simply wasn't viable."

By the time it was Pakistan's turn to host the event in 2002, the Indian government had banned cricket exchanges with Pakistan, saying they were against national interest. The Pakistan Cricket Board wouldn't take the financial risk of hosting the event without India.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947. Two were over Kashmir, the Himalayan territory claimed by both countries and divided between them by a cease-fire line.

Both countries are currently trying to ease hostilities with a series of peace measures, including cricket tours.

Political tensions with other countries have also caused withdrawals.

India, who won four of the first five Asia Cup competitions between 1984-90, pulled out of the second tournament in Sri Lanka in 1986, when New Delhi's diplomatic relations with Colombo were strained.

Four years later, the tournament was played in India without Pakistan, after the latter's government refused to give its required approval for the tour.

Haq said this year's Asia Cup wasn't moved from Pakistan to Sri Lanka for political reasons.

"Sri Lanka offered a window to stage the event at a time when the weather in Pakistan won't permit international matches," he said.

The tournament has been expanded to six nations this time, with the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong each qualifying for their Asia Cup debut.

Host and two-time Asia Cup title winner Sri Lanka is with India and United Arab Emirates in Pool A, while defending champion Pakistan is in Pool B with Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

Two top teams from the preliminary round-robin league will advance to the second round, followed by the final encounter between the top-placed nations on Aug. 1.