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Pakistan Saturday said it would not play host to Australia for a one-day and Test series if situation remained tense at the India-Pakistan borders.

"We would not like the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to say that it cannot send its team because of tension at the borders," chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Lt-Gen Tauqir Zia said from Lahore.

Following the war-like situation the Australian government Thursday urged its nationals living in Pakistan to leave and advised Australians to defer travel to Pakistan, a decision that has not pleased the PCB boss, in particular.

"I think it is a premature decision. They (Australian government) could have waited before declaring that Pakistan was an unsafe place," he said. But the Australian government's decision has certainly dimmed whatever hopes the PCB had of hosting them in the backdrop of a bomb blast on May 8 outside the hotel where New Zealand and Pakistan teams were staying that left 14 dead and 18 injured. New Zealand aborted the tour and returned home in less than 12 hours after the incident.

Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan in two phases this summer. Australia and New Zealand are to appear in a tri-nation one-day series between Aug 27 and Sept 7 before playing a three-Test series between Oct 1 and 24.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) had praised the security provided to its players by the PCB and admitted that the incident of May 8 was beyond PCB control. But while saying it, NZC did not confirm if it was ready to make a return visit for the three-nation tournament being staged as part of Pakistan's golden jubilee of Test cricket.

"Naturally if the situation on the borders remains tense or worsens, we would not like to risk the security of our guests. And we are thinking on those lines keeping in mind that Australia will tour Pakistan," the PCB chief said.

Tauqir, one of the thinktanks of the army, himself is uncertain of attending the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) annual meetings at Lord's, starting June 20.

"If the present crisis prolongs, I don't think I will attend the meetings. I will be represented by the director (Brig Munawwar Rana) who has complete grip over the issues that will come up at the meetings," Tauqir said. However, the PCB chairman emphasized that the border tension and the consequences of May 8 bomb blast should not be mixed up.

These are different issues and our caution should not be taken as an indication that we are contemplating taking the tri- nation one-day series and the Test series to off-shore venues like Morocco or Sharjah.

The PCB is confident that sanity would prevail and tensions would ease. But as regards the bomb blast, the world recognizes that the PCB provided the best security to the New Zealand cricketers.

"The world also accepts that no institution can do anything if a crazy individual is bent upon carrying out a suicide attack. I mean it is something that can happen anywhere. But my point is why single out Pakistan," he asked.

The general was optimistic that the situation regarding hosting of the events would become clear during the ICC meetings. "We still have a month to go and I am confident that dust would settle down that will also assist the NZC and ACB to make the decision about their tours to Pakistan."

As the PCB continues to prepare for the ICC meeting and find ways to avoid going to neutral venue in case NZC and ACB refuse to tour Pakistan, it has found an interesting and appealing option that might be floated at the cricket headquarters in June.

The option is to swap the timing of the series with Australia. The PCB may offer ACB the option to host Pakistan this October for three Tests and instead ask them (Australia) to make a return visit in December 2004, according to ICC's 10-year calendar.

The proposal may shorten Australia's program for the 2004 season as the ACB is also scheduled to host the West Indies in November before Pakistan joins the two for the triangular series. But at the same time, the proposal is workable because Australia are to tour India in September and can play a series in Pakistan on way back home.

The West Indies, who are to tour in the first half of Australian season, can be accommodated in the second half in place of Pakistan.

Pakistan will also be required to make some adjustments if this proposal is accepted. They are to host Zimbabwe in October 2004 and will have to request the African nation to come a month earlier so that it can play Australia in October.

The current situation is complicated and all the Test playing countries are concerned, along with the ICC whose world Test championship concept is also in jeopardy.

It is time that some of the countries, particularly Australia, adopt flexible posture and display their sympathy by deed rather than words and help bail Pakistan cricket out of the current crisis.

© Dawn