In Mid-September, India and Pakistan will add a new connotation to the word "partition".The cricketing commitment of the two countries will be divided across continents. The neighbours will simultaneously participate in the Sahara Cup at Toronto and the Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur.The Sahara Cup is part of world cricket's attempt to conquer North America. It is promoted by the International Management Group, sport's most powerful MNC, involves lucrative sponsorships, television contracts and all that makes modern cricket a mammoth commercial enterprise. The stakes at Kuala Lumpur are comparatively humble: national honour and a possible medal.International sport has room for both pride and pelf. It is ridiculous to convert the "Kuala Lumpur vs Toronto" debate into a touchstone for patriotism. The predicament reflects nothing more than rank bad planning by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).The BCCI's primary blunder was, of course, to make a mess of its time table. Now, it has compounded its error by playing the ostrich. The selection of the teams has been postponed to September 4, the proverbial last minute. This past week, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) finalised the contingent for the Commonwealth Games.The names of all Indian participants were sent to the hosts - but not those of the cricketers. Obviously, while the BCCI makes up its mind it expects such minor inconveniences as deadlines to take care of themselves. IOA officials thunder that they want the best team. The Pakistanis declare their preference for Toronto..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}On his part, the BCCI president makes a profound deduction and points out he cannot produce two top teams. As the BCCI gropes for a solution, there is one thing it must not do: split the national XI. Pick an A team and a B team. If you mix and match, you are likely to end up with two losing sides. Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 24, 1998--- ENDS ---
