Tharoor wants Indo-Pak cricket series in US

Kolkata, Nov 1 (PTI) With Indo-Pak cricketing ties having
remained suspended after the 26/11 attacks, Indian Minister
Shashi Tharoor has suggested that a series between the
arch-rivals could be organised in a neutral venue like the US.
Tharoor, who had his education in the US, said that
country has many cricket enthusiasts and hoped an Indo-Pak
cricket series could well be appreciated by the people there.
"We have a large patriotic population of both Indians and
Pakistanis in the US and a handful of cricket enthusiasts as
well. That's a very, very good way to organise cricket in
third countries when terror strikes have stopped cricket
between the two countries," Tharoor said.
"It will be terrific to see a baseball stadium in the US
crowded for a cricket match, though the stadium will be small
by cricket standards," the Minister of State of External
Affairs said.
"There is a lot at stake in Indo-Pak rivalry as there is
some historical baggage (of Partition)," he said, adding that
this made an Indo-Pak series always "exciting".
Tharoor, who has co-authored a book 'Shadows Across the
Playing Field' with former Pakistan Cricket Board chief
Shaharyar Khan, recalled the resumption of Indo-Pak cricket in
2004 which was termed as a friendship tour. "For the first
time so many cricket visas were given. The atmosphere was so
good among fans," he said. PTI