THE change in the stance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India towards Pakistan has come as a welcome surprise to followers of the game on both sides of the border. On Friday, the BCCI offered to explore the possibility of holding a short series between the two sides. For more than seven years now, the BCCI had shut its door on our cricketers as far as playing them in Pakistan or any neutral venue, such as the UAE or Malaysia, was concerned. The two rivals last met in a three-match ODI series played in India in December 2012 which was won by Misbah-ul-Haq and his charges. At that time too, the BCCI had displayed a sudden change of heart and invited Pakistan out of the blue to play the ODI series. It had, however, quite bluntly refused to have a similar series in Pakistan, thus openly flouting the ICC’s Future Tours Programme which binds it to pay a return tour almost immediately. The offer made on Friday, however, shows a remarkably flexible intent as the BCCI has talked of squeezing in a short series against Pakistan despite the Indian cricket team’s busy schedule until 2015. The willingness to play Pakistan at a neutral venue of the latter’s choice has come as even more of a surprise.

On the face of it, it is a tremendous development for the millions of cricket lovers in the subcontinent who have been starved for an India-Pakistan contest. However, the offer should be treated with caution as it has other connotations as well. There have been observations that the BCCI is attempting to win Pakistan’s support in the thorny debate of the ‘big three’ proposal, to be tabled at the ICC in the coming months, which could see India in a dominant position with regard to international cricket affairs. PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf while welcoming the BCCI offer has discreetly avoided mixing the two issues, which is the right path to adopt.