Indo-Pak cricket telecast rights: Prasar Bharti wins

     Chennai: Decks were cleared on Thursday for the live telecast of the upcoming Indo-Pak cricket series with the Madras High Court directing Prasar Bharati-Doordarshan to beam the matches, including three Tests and six One-Day Internationals. Passing an interim order, Justice K P Sivasubramaniam also directed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was free to choose a production unit for the purpose. Prasar Bharti has been, however, asked to maintain proper accounts for the receipts from the live telecast of the matches. The decision comes as a relief as it clears the uncertainty over the series going ahead due to the legal wrangling over telecast rights between Zee Telefilms Private Limited and ESPNSTAR. The ICC has earlier warned that if the problem is not solved soon the series may be called off, in the absence of a telecaster.

     The order was passed on a petition filed by Zee Telefilms challenging the BCCI's September last decision to cancel the tender process for telecasting rights for international cricket matches to be played in the country between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2008. On Wednesday, Justice Sivasubramanian reserved orders on the Zee petition at the conclusion of lengthy arguments, but said he would deliver interim orders for the arrangement for the telecast of the Indo-Pak series on Thursday. On the ongoing problem, a top cricket administrator, Ranbir Singh Mahendra said, "Time is running out. If there is no telecast, there will be no cricket". The dispute regarding the telecast rights, which involves, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and a private television channel, Zee Telefilms, has been pending in Madras High Court since last October. Earlier, the channel accused BCCI of reneging on a 308 million dollars deal under which it was to be given the sole rights to televise Indian cricket matches. The top cricket authority of the country, BCCI, first made the offer to Zee Telefilms, but later backtracked and offered it to ESPN Star Sports. Earlier, in October 2004 similar dispute cast a shadow over Australia's tour of India, but the Supreme Court then allowed state-run broadcaster Prasar Bharti and private channel Sony Entertainment Television to broadcast the series.

Pak's fighting spirit key to beating India: Imran (Go To Top)

     Lahore: Pakistan's cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq will have to lead from the front and inculcate a fighting spirit among his boys when they take on India in the Test and one-day series that begins in India from March 8, said former captain Imran Khan. The series between the two sides will be the first on Indian soil after six years. The two teams last met in India in 1999, when Pakistan beat the hosts 2-1. Thereafter, India toured Pakistan last year for the first time in 15 years, and beat the hosts 2-1 in the Test series and 3-2 in the one-day series. Speaking to reporters after opening former cricketer Wasim Akram's Reebok store at MM Alam Road here on Wednesday, Imran was quoted by the Daily Times as saying that "nobody expects the Pakistan team to beat India in every game. But at the same time we don't want them to capitulate either. When they don't put up a fight then it causes more agony and pain." "Pakistan can give positive results in India as our cricketers have the potential to upset their archrivals," he said, adding that the fast bowlers would hold the key to the ultimate result. Imran said India's bowling didn't have the same fire as Australia but conceded that the former had an experienced and dependable batting line up. "India beat us in Pakistan a few months ago while we beat them when we toured India. So Pakistan's record in India is not that bad. I hope the Pakistan cricket team will perform well in India after playing Australia in the recently concluded Test and one- day series. I think the players will go to India with much more conviction and self-assurance," Imran said. The team is scheduled to arrive in India on February 28 and will play three Tests and six one-day internationals.

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