Sunday's news that Sri Lanka will not field its top stars Arjuna Ranatuna, Arvinda de Silva, Chaminda Vaas in the key Test against Pakistan in Pakistan this week is the last straw, particularly as it comes after the sidelining through injury of ace bowler Muthiah Muralitharan and the explosive Sanath Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka need just seven points from their match against Pakistan to edge out India from the Asian Test Championship final to be held in Dhaka. But the Lankans who have four points (from one match) to India's ten (from two Tests) have indicated that they could not care less for the Asian Test Championship by selecting a lame duck team to take on the Pakistanis. The Lankans have openly stated that the World Cup to be held in England in May-June is more important than a place in the Asian Test final.

Of course, the offshoot of this Lankan decision could well be an Indo-Pak final atDhaka later this month ! And what a bonanza that would be for the television channels and of course Dhaka !

It is common knowledge that interest in an Indo-Pak match (Test or One-Dayer) would be far more than any Pakistan versus Sri Lanka encounter. Viewership for the former would be in millions and in every continent of the world. Sponsorship would flow in.

How convenient that the Lankans realise this and have send their boys to take on the men !

Who knows, perhaps an Indo-Pak final could be just the shot in the arm that this limping Asian Test Championship requires.

Hastily put together by the chairman of ICC, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the Asian Test Championship was initiated to prove a point to the doubting Thomases from Australia, England, et al. Both countries shot down the idea for a World Test championship either in the format of the Asian Test Championship or a reduced three-Test series contest between the Test-playing nations, as they feared that their Ashes Series would be diluted.

For bothEngland and Australia, a five-Test Ashes series was supreme and they were unwilling to fritter it away.

Of course, at various times, the idea of a World Test Championship has been floated. Most believe that it is desirable, but there is no consensus in its format. Even the bonus points system used for the Asian Test Championship is seen only as a forerunner to a more dependable system.

While some have been talking of a home-and-away format, yet others want the Test-playing nations to get together for 60 days at one venue and thrash it out like the limited overs World Cup.

Dalmiya, perhaps frustrated by the endless talk, decided to take the bull by the horns and launched the Asian Test Championship to prove that something could still be salvaged of what many believe is his idea. Thus, this tournament, hastily planned and conducted at the wrong time, is seen in all three countries as a nuisance to be gone through before the World Cup !Perhaps, an Indo-Pak final could still salvage something out of thisfiasco.