KARACHI, July 5: While former Pakistan Test captain Wasim Akram said that Asian cricket had played a great role in bringing arch-rivals Pakistan and India closer, Sri Lankan wicket-keeper/batsman Kumar Sangakkara called the continent as the game’s most revered place after Lord’s.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) here on Saturday, Wasim said two series were held between Pakistan and India in 1999 and 2004 despite various political hurdles.

“But it is the game of cricket which became a hope for better relations between the people of the two countries and that is one of the big achievements of Asian cricket,” Wasim, a veteran of 104 Tests and 356 One-day Internationals, stated.

Wasim added that the rivalry between India and Pakistan also powered the game to flourish in Asia.

“Spectators always show great passion and love for the matches between Pakistan and India, which play a role in bringing the people close to each other,” he said.

Urging for the betterment of cricket infrastructure in the continent, Wasim hoped Asian cricket would continue to play its role for the promotion of the game as well as relations among its member countries.

Wasim, considered by many experts as the best left-arm paceman of all times, further said that Asia had great talent, citing three Test-playing countries out of four had won the World Cup.

Sangakkara, meanwhile, said Asia had served the game a lot and added that the region was emerging as the new spiritual house of the game after Lord’s.

“When I see all this I have to ask: Has Asia not now become the new spiritual home of world cricket?” he asked.

Sangakkara was all praise for the Asian region for producing star cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Sachin Tendulkar.

“How ingrained cricket has become in the Asian culture and psyche through the achievements of our brothers! Asian expatriates, living in all corners of the globe, are now representing national teams in long-established cricket-playing countries like England, South Africa and New Zealand,” he noted.

Praising the attitude of the Asian players with spectators, he said: “It is a very rare occasion that Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Yousuf or Muralitharan refuse an autograph, handshake or photograph to a fan,” he said.

The veteran player emphasised that Asian cricketers realised well their social responsibilities mentioning Imran Khan’s cancer hospital (Lahore), Murali’s Foundation of Goodness and Mahela Jayawardene’s Hope Cancer Project.

“Asian teams have steadily climbed up the world rankings. We have won three World Cups besides being runners-up on several other occasions,” he said.

Former Pakistan Test captain Asif Iqbal also attended the seminar as a panelist.

The seminar was held in three sessions. The first one was chaired by outgoing ACC President Arjuna Ranatunga with Wasim was the key note speaker. The second was chaired by BCCI president-designated Shashank V Manohar, while the third and final was conducted by PCB Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Nasim said though Asian cricket had rendered great services, the spiritual house must be Lord’s and the ICC was going to hold its centennial celebrations there.