Cricket: Pakistan agree to Test series in India

PAKISTAN has agreed to play a Test series in India for the first time in a decade. Political tension between the neighbours, which has three times boiled over into wars over territory, had restricted sporting contacts, but J Y Lele, secretary of the Indian cricket board, said yesterday that a three-Test series would start on 16 January next year.

In February, Pakistan called off a day of play between a Karachi city team and a visiting Indian junior team because it was scheduled on the annual holiday Pakistanis hold to express solidarity with Muslim separatists in the Indian state of Kashmir. In retaliation, India refused to turn up for the last day of the three-day match.

Mark Taylor is considering resigning as Australia's captain because of problems caused by picking separate teams for Tests and one-day matches.

Taylor, who led Australia to a 2-1 defeat in a Test series in India, wants the Australian Cricket Board to abandon the policy. Omitted for a triangular limited-overs tournament with India and Zimbabwe at the end of Australia's tour on the sub-continent, Taylor may resign as captain to help unify the squad.

"I think there hasn't been quite the same feeling in the side since the split," Taylor said in Sydney yesterday. "I have been captain for four years and the feeling last year has been different to the previous three."

Dermot Reeve, Somerset's coach, will come out of retirement to play for the county in one-day cricket this summer. Reeve, 35 tomorrow, originally retired because of an arthritic hip.