Former Indian cricketer calls for restoration of cricketing ties with Pakistan

Arch-rivals have not faced each other in a Test match since 2007-08 season

MANCHESTER: India great Farokh Engineer would like to see "relations restored" in a "delicate" situation with Pakistan so the arch-rivals can resume bilateral cricket series.

Amid the current glut of international cricket, one of the more remarkable statistics is that India and Pakistan have not played a Test against each other since the 2007-08 season.

An irony of the present stand-off is that the International Cricket Council (ICC), well aware of the huge global sporting and commercial interest generated by an India-Pakistan fixture, has admitted 'fixing' the draw to make sure the two nations meet during one of their showpiece events.

They got two for the price of one at this year's Champions Trophy in Britain, with India hammering Pakistan in the group stage of the 50-over event only for Pakistan to turn the tables in stunning style with a 180-run thrashing of their neighbours in a remarkable final at a sold-out Oval in London.

But Engineer, who represented India in 46 Tests, believes the issues must be resolved. "It's a delicate situation there, it's up to the government really," Engineer told AFP during an interview at Old Trafford. "They are saying we are having border clashes with Pakistan all the time and it just wouldn't make sense playing cricket until relations are restored.”

He added: “I am all for relations being restored because basically we are the same people -- it's the British government in 1947 who created the partition, but who am I to judge that? I like to leave that to the politicians."

Indian players were the most notable absentee from the recent World XI tour of Pakistan, where a team led by South Africa’s Faf du Plessis faced Green Caps in three-T20I series.

There were no Indian players involved in the recent World XI Twenty20 internationals in Pakistan, designed to revive top level cricket in the country after a armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009 turned the country into a 'no go area' for leading cricket nations.

Engineer played alongside Pakistan stars such as Zaheer Abbas and Intikhab Alam during Rest of the World series against England and Australia in 1970 and 1971/2 respectively caused by the cancellation of South Africa tours.

As a result, Engineer had the best view in the house as the 'other batsman' for a portion of West Indies star all-rounder Garfield Sobers's blazing 254 for the World XI at Melbourne — an innings Australia's Don Bradman, arguably cricket's greatest batsmen, labelled the best he'd seen on Australian soil.

"Sobers was brilliant -- he absolutely smashed Dennis Lillee to smithereens," recalled Engineer. "All I could keep on saying was 'great shot Sobey' while I was at the other end enjoying it all."