"The game was on, with the establishment against the marauding agitators who had even threatened to let loose poisonous snakes into the Pakistan dressing room!"

The 75-year-old ex-armyman said a new benchmark in public relations was achieved through friendly cricket series between the two countries.

"Perhaps one small incident encapsulated the entire syndrome of the friendship series. At Lahore, Inzamam(-ul Haq) was batting and played a ball to point where (Anil) Kumble fielded and flung the ball hard towards the 'keeper, except that the throw was a little off the mark and missed Inzamam's nose by a whisker. Inzamam turned angrily towards Kumble and heated words were exchanged between the two.”

"The incident sent a chill down my spine... but at close, Inzamam and Kumble walked smiling arm-in-arm, the heated exchange forgiven and forgotten. This was the response of two mature and responsible cricketers (so as not to mar the goodwill achieved during the entire 2004 series)," he wrote.

Although post-Mumbai terror attacks there is no bilateral series proposed between India and Pakistan in the new Future Tours Programme, Shaharyar is hopeful that cricket will soon resume between the neighbours.

"It's often been a case of two steps forward and one (or two) steps back in the peace process. The Mumbai terrorist attack must be seen as part of the same syndrome. I am convinced that cricket will again provide the catalyst to bring about harmony, tolerance and good neighbourly relations between the two countries," he concluded.