DERBY DAYS CRICKET'S ASIA CUP:If the two nuclear giants can get their cricket rivalry on a thoroughly sporting footing, free of political and tribal rancour, it will have been a huge victory for the game, writes DAMIAN CULLEN

MARCH 9th, 1996, and Pakistan's Aamir Sohail smashes a delivery from the Indian seamer Venkatesh Prasad through the covers for four in a tense World Cup quarter-final. The two exchange words and Sohail points to where the ball has gone.

In the next delivery Prasad clean-bowls Sohail and points to the pavilion.

The incident triggered a batting collapse and defeat for Pakistan in the knockout game in India's third-most-populous city, Bangalore.

The Pakistan team had been humiliated. By India. In India.

In Pakistan, the loss was greeted with almost the same disbelief and anger that had followed any of the military losses suffered by the country.

Sport, it seems, has limited healing power - though Imran Khan wouldn't agree. The captain of Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning side once even declared India and Pakistan should play a cricket match to decide ownership of Kashmir.

While the idea was incredibly naïve, in a way, every cricket game between the two already had the sense of an armed conflict.

Pakistan and India have been at war for 60 years. The cricket pitch has simply been another arena for the struggle.

Cricket matches between Pakistan and India have, more than any other sporting clash in the world, been infected by politics.

Ever since the end of the second World War, when the British Empire crumbled in Asia, Pakistan and India have been enemies, and the two first went to war in 1947 over Kashmir. The war ended a year later, but in 1965 border clashes escalated to another war, until, after several weeks, a UN-sponsored ceasefire was agreed.

The relative calm lasted six years until civil war in Pakistan led to India invading. By the end of the year eastern Pakistan had become the independent country of Bangladesh.

But the clashes continued, and even during the last 10 years incidents have led to shelling, sporadic fighting and the regular build-up of troops along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border.

But back in the 1950s, in the early days of both new states, at least international matches between the two could take place.

The Irish Timescarried a report on the first Test between the two, on October 21st, 1952: India yesterday won her first test against Pakistan by an innings and 70 runs with a day to spare at New Delhi. Pakistan were all out in their second innings for 152. Hero of India's victory was Vinoo Mankad, the slow, left-arm spinner who plays in the Lancashire League. He set up two records for India cricket by taking 13 wickets for 131 in one match, and by claiming eight wickets for 52 in the first innings.

There was no clue as to the tense, hostile atmosphere that would accompany many future meetings.

However, while the cricket matches were allowed to take place, a certain caution was wise - if there was to be a winner, that meant there had to a loser, and defeat in sport was equated with national failure.

In 1954, India embarked on their first tour of Pakistan, playing a five-Test series.

All five Tests were drawn.

In 1960, it was Pakistan's turn to tour India in another five-Test series.

All five Tests were drawn.

Regardless, with relations detoriating even further, it was to be the last meeting between the two for 18 years. In fact, in all, they have met in 61 Tests, Pakistan winning 12, India winning 10 and, incredibly, 40 ending in a draw.

The 1986 Austral-Asia Cup in Sharjah provided the setting for probably the most famous moment in Pakistan v India cricketing history.

India batted first and set a target of 245 runs. Javed Miandad came in to bat at number three and Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals. India looked to be cruising to victory.

Miandad, however, hit a string of boundaries while batting with his team's lower order, until four runs were required from the last delivery of the match. He received a leg-side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary.

With television audiences for Pakistan v India matches now exceeding one billion, Miandad instantly became a national hero.

A victory over the old enemy was embraced passionately, but at least it was sport, not war.

When the sides met in the 2003 World Cup, a television commentator began with the observation: "There has been no war since 1999. So there is so much more excitement in this match."

The Asia Cup, which began this week, was conceived in 1983 when the Asian Cricket Council was created as a measure to promote goodwill between Asian countries.

This will be the first time for Pakistan to host the Asia Cup (it was cancelled before it could host the 1993 edition). But, more importantly - unlike in 1990, the only time India have been the tournament hosts, when Pakistan withdrew - India are coming.

No one is suggesting the distrust between the two countries can be bridged by men in white flannels.

But by the time the final of the 2008 Asia Cup takes place next Sunday week at the National Stadium in Karachi - quite possibly between Pakistan and India - it is hoped cricket will have taken relations between the two countries another step down a long path toward friendship and peace.

PAKISTAN v INDIA
Tomorrow Faisalabad, Pakistan Live on Setanta Ireland (10:50am-19:15pm)