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Malaysia bid to change India's mind
Jan 12, 2001, 14:00 Hrs (IST)

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Cricket Association president Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar said on Friday he would urge India to change their minds and join a tri-nation cricket tournament involving Pakistan.

India had told Malaysia they could not compete because of time constraints, but Tunku Imran said he would try his best to change their minds.

"Since I personally invited them during my visit to India last month, I shall try to get them to reverse their decision. It will be a major boost for Malaysian cricket if we can get both India and Pakistan to play here," he said.

Malaysia had invited Pakistan and India to join them for a tri-series tournament from January 28 to February 9 in Kuala Lumpur.

Pakistan Cricket Board official Munawar Rana reportedly said earlier this month that the real reason behind India's withdrawal was because they did not want to play against Pakistan.

Tunku Imran said he had high hopes that India would eventually take part despite the political differences. "We have good relations with our Indian counterparts and I am confident they will compete," he added.

The Indian government had earlier refused to allow its cricket team to tour Pakistan because of political tensions between the two countries. They have refused to review the decision despite pressure from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The ICC plan to finalise the cricket itinerary for the next decade in their meeting next month in Melbourne.

Copyright AFP 2000