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.