Bridge Test series between Pakistan, India postponed
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

KARACHI: The long awaited inaugural bridge Test series between Pakistan and India has been postponed yet again, it was officially announced here on Wednesday.

Ashfaq Yousuf Tola, Honorary Secretary, Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF), said Thursday that the Test series between the two neighbouring countries, due to be held in New Delhi later this month, has been cancelled.

"We’ve received an official communication from Mukul Chatterji, Honorary Secretary, Bridge Federation of India (BFI) stating that due to unavoidable circumstances they had to cancel the Indo-Pak Bridge Series which was scheduled to be staged in the Indian capital from August 7 to 10," the PBF official revealed.

"All the formalities of sending the squad, including visas and travelling arrangements, had been completed and the contingent was ready to fly on August 5," Ashfaq said.

"This development has certainly disappointed the entire bridge fraternity of Pakistan as all of us were looking forward to the series," he remarked.

"The PBF, by mutual consent, had granted our Indian counterparts to host the inaugural series and Pakistan was to reciprocate the next leg of the series in November 2005," he disclosed.

Ashfaq sounded optimistic about the Test series taking off later this year in Pakistan. "The cancellation of the series in India has provided us the opportunity to rewrite history as now we would be playing host to the historic first series between the two countries," he reckoned.

It may be recalled that Khurshid Hadi, a former president of the PBF, had initiated the move of organising a bilateral Test series between Pakistan and India on an annual basis. His efforts could not bring the desired results because during his tenure, 1998-2001, the sporting ties between the two countries were virtually non-existent.

With the improvement in relations and the revival of sporting contacts, quite a few bilateral sports events have taken place during the last 18 months or so. Bridge, however, awaits the breakthrough.●