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I have yet to meet an Indian who can give me a rational explanation why his country is steadfastly refusing to play cricket against Pakistan. That Pakistan is willing to do so, play cricket against India, anytime, any place , seems to stiffen the determination of the nay-sayers in New Delhi who probably interprets Pakistan's willingness as a sign of weakness.

But the world has moved on and Pakistan is busy with its own cricket program as India is and that the two are not playing against one another is becoming irrelevant. It is not the first time that cricket relations between the two countries have been suspended. Pakistan toured India in 1960-61 and the two countries did not play against each other for the next 17 years when the ice was finally broken and India toured Pakistan with Bishen Bedi as captain.

Cricket matches between the two countries have no bearing on the political relations between them. I rather suspect that having taken the decision in a fit of chauvinistic righteousness and climbed a high horse, the Indian government is finding it difficult to dismount. The loss is of the two cricket boards who are losing revenue and of the cricket publics of the two countries. But the higher game of politics, this, I suppose is a small price to pay.

On the awesome showing against South Africa, Australia has served notice that it is not to be dallied with in the World Cup 2003. The planning is perfect which has included the tough decision to drop the Waugh brothers and appoint Ricky Ponting as the captain. The principle Australia has followed is that a captain should be a good enough player to earn his own keep.

But having said that, I don't think that South Africa is the toughest of opponents. It is a team living on its reputation, much like the West Indies did, until it dawned on the cricket public that the mighty had indeed fallen. There seems to be nothing too much wrong with South Africa's batting and it can leave out Gary Kirsten and still make 327. It is the bowling that has fallen apart.

Not only has Allan Donald retired but Shaun Pollock is about half the bowler he used to be. Whether he is nursing an injury I cannot say but the fizz is not there. Pollock used to do two jobs. He took wickets and he did a containment job. Now he is doing neither. The result is that South Africa was not able to defend 327 and Australia got the runs with an over to spare and a few wickets in the bank. But the three teams competing in Sharjah, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are all capable of dethroning the world champions.

New Zealand has been playing without three of their bowlers, Chris Cairns, Shane Bond and Dion Nash. Yet it beat England in the third Test at Auckland and squared the series and that too with a half-fit Daniel Vettori.

When New Zealand was in Australia, I had picked it as the dark horse for the World Cup 2003. New Zealand has much in common with Australia. It plays as a team and the players are supportive of one another.

One imagines that the dressing-room is a happy place. And yet, even Chris Cairns would find it hard to get a place in the Australian team. New Zealand must be doing something right to achieve the results it is getting.

In many respects New Zealand reminds of the Pakistan team that A. H. Kardar led in the fifties. Only Fazal Mahmood and Hanif Mohammad could have been considered as players of authentic Test class. Yet that team took on all comers. The secret of that team was that the players enjoyed their cricket, both on and off the field. Perhaps cricket was different game then. It was not so intense.

On the 1954 tour of England, Pakistan was playing against a country team on a bitterly cold day. Zulfiqar Ahmed was fielding at first slip, Doug Insole was batting and he edged the first two balls he received to Zulfiqar and it must have stung. Wringing his hands, Zulfiqar walked up to Insole and told him that there was ten other fielders, why was he picking on him? Insole cracked up with laughter as did Zulfi's team mates. Even the stern Kardar managed a smile. Winning is that much easier when a team is playing together, like Tolstoy's happy family.

Sri Lankan morale must be sky high after making short work of Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship. Sri Lanka has always been a splendid one-day team but so good has their planning been, Sri Lanka is now a pretty good Test team as well. Sanath Jayasuriya had taken over from Arjuna Ranatunga and it was a tough act to follow.

But a new captain is that much more acceptable if he is leading from the front. There is no doubt that Jayasuriya is a captain who is respected by his players and he is able to get the best out of them. Though Sharjah is Pakistan's happy hunting ground, Sri Lanka must be favorites at Sharjah.

Pakistan were without Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq in the Asian Test Championship final. I think the Pakistan team management have seen the error of their ways and they are both back in the Pakistan squad. So too is Imran Nazir who must consider himself lucky to be picked ahead of Taufiq Umer. This is a chance that Imran must grab with both hands. Pakistan is doing a right thing in making changes in the team for Pakistan is still searching for the right combination. The job will be made easier when Saeed Anwar returns to the team.

But the nucleus of the World Cup squad is there and if Pakistan can get a fitness trainer quickly, the fielding will improve by leaps and bounds. Of the three teams at Sharjah, Pakistan is the weakest fielding side. This can be 'repaired' soon enough. Otherwise Pakistan is in good shape and must be in serious contention to go places in the World Cup 2003. After all, it did reach the final in 1999.

© Dawn