Tools of peace? Cricket bats and googlies

KARACHI, Pakistan - As the Pakistan cricket team stepped into the stadium this week in the northwestern Indian city of Mohali to begin a series of matches against the Indian team, the players knew they were entering more than just a sporting arena.

To millions of people across this subcontinent, they were on the frontlines of the push for peaceful reconciliation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Between any two other countries, the beginning of a series of cricket games would, at most, give rise to speculation by fans and commentators regarding possible sporting outcomes.

But between traditional rivals Pakistan and India, who have fought three wars since 1947 and came to the brink of nuclear conflict in 1999 and 2002, cricket takes on a completely different dimension altogether.

In fact, the notion of  “cricket diplomacy,” resulting from the countries’ match-ups was proven true once again on Wednesday when a spokesman for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that India would welcome a visit by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to attend one of the games.

If a visit by the Pakistani leader comes to fruition, it would be his first visit to India since a failed summit between the nuclear-armed rivals in the northern town of Agra in 2001. Analysts said the new burst of “cricket diplomacy” between the neighbors could push forward the year-old peace process.

The series of matches between the two nations is scheduled to include three Tests, which are played over five days, and six  one-day internationals.

Bilateral venue
While cricket has never gained traction in the United States -- few know the difference between a googly and a yorker! -- these nations are almost fanatical about the sport, introduced to the Indian subcontinent by the British colonialists in the 19^th century.

It is by far the most popular game — millions follow it, sometimes with alarming passion — and the combined revenues from ticket sales, advertising, and television rights which run into billions of dollars, are the highest in the cricket-playing world.

Games between India and Pakistan, two of the world’s top teams, are traditionally some of the most keenly contested, with both sides playing for national pride. An Australian commentator once likened the encounters to war by other means.

In fact, scoring a win over the other is often a higher priority among fans than winning world championships. “I would say a Pakistan and India match is the greatest rivalry in cricket history,” the Indian team captain Saurav Ganguly said to reporters on Monday.

Yet, despite the enthusiasm on both sides of the border for bilateral contests, match-ups between the sub continental neighbors have often suffered at the hands of politics.

This will be the Pakistan cricket team’s first visit to India since 1999 and the organization of the tour has had its fair share of hiccups, including threats from Hindu hard-liners opposed to Pakistan.

Cricketing ties had been broken off by the Indian government in June 1999 when the Indian army suffered heavy casualties combating Pakistan-backed fighters who had taken over strategic peaks in the high mountains of the disputed region of Kashmir.

As relations plummeted further in the wake of a tense armed face-off along the border in 2002, cricket matches between India and Pakistan dried up almost completely, even on neutral ground.

Only last year were bilateral matches resumed, after a push towards peace initiated by the leaders of both countries. The Indian team finally visited Pakistan last year in March, its first visit for almost a decade.

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