Cricket lovers can cheer up. In the wake of the disastrous performance of India and Pakistan in the World Cup, the wise men of BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board are contemplating a special ‘Doosra Cup’ series of one-day games to be held at Sharjah.“Yes, our discussions with PCB are at an advanced stage,” confirmed a BCCI spokesman, who wished to be anonymous. “There is public depression in both India and Pakistan after our teams crashed out of the World Cup, and the Doosra Cup series will bring considerable cheer. We propose a series of five one-day games, starting from 1st April.”“But the World Cup is still on. So isn’t the timing strange?” we asked. “Odds are that no one will be interested in this series.”“Don’t ever use words like ‘odds’ around here!” he winced, glancing nervously around. “Look, the public gloom that hangs over our nations has nothing to do with our World Cup losses. To the Indian public it matters little that India has been knocked out of the World Cup race because Pakistan too has been knocked out! Ditto, the Pakistani public. Indeed, most Indian and Pakistani cricket lovers were watching the World Cup series in the hope that one day the Indian team would thrash the Pakistani team or vice versa. Now, their hopes of an encounter between the two sides have been dashed. This is why it is important, indeed a sacred duty, for the BCCI and the PCB to set up a series between India and Pakistan to rid our people of their unhappiness and thereby foster the ongoing peace process.”“But won’t getting sponsors for the Doosra Cup series be tough, with the World Cup on?” we asked. “Of course we’ll find sponsors!” he retorted. “Remember the corporate houses which had put their money into World Cup telecasts? Now, with India and Pakistan ejected, they’ve lost out on about 1.5 billion eyeballs and are desperate to recoup their ad losses. We already have firm commitments from at least five of them to sponsor the Doosra Cup series. TV rights are even now being negotiated between the Dubai-based Al Nakhli channel and Doordarshan.”“So April will bring us something to cheer about, after all?” we asked.“You can bet on it,” he replied with a chuckle as dry as the Sharjah pitch.
