Sachin Tendulkar may have given a lesson or two in batting to Pakistan during his blitzkrieg in a World Cup cricket match early this year but former Pakistani captain and speedster Imran Khan still does not rate him as a 'match-winner'.

Comparing Tendulkar to West Indian great Vivian Richards, Khan said Tendulkar still needed to perform at crucial times.

"Both are talented but the only thing about Tendulkar is that he needs to be a match-winner," Imran Khan was quoted as saying in media reports in Dubai on Monday. "He must perform at crucial times when you need him to perform."

"My point is that when you compare Sachin Tendulkar to Viv Richards, he is not a match-winner. The greatness of a player is also to perform at the right time," Imran said.

"However, there is no denying Tendulkar's talent. He has enormous talent. He is one of the best timers of the ball," he said.

Asked to comment on the thrashing Pakistan got from Tendulkar at the Centurion during the World Cup, Imran evaded a direct replay and shrugged it off saying Pakistan has had a history of such thrashings.

"We have been thrashed many times. Don't you remember the kind of the thrashing we received at the hands of West Indies in the past? Richards was a total destroyer of any attack," he said.

On Indo-Pak cricket ties, Imran Khan, who attended a Dubai Cricket Council function, said he was in full favour of revival of bilateral series between the two neighbours.

Imran said the time was conducive now more than ever for the resumption of cricketing ties though the border tension had strained bilateral relations.

"The chances have brightened recently. Both countries are getting closer. The people to people contact will help ease tension," he said.

He said he regretted the fact that he could visit India only twice during his cricketing career.

"When I went to India for the first time in 1979 on a cricketing tour, there was much warmth in the hospitality accorded to us. But on my second visit nine years later, I could notice certain stiffness among people," he said.

"When the Kargil war was on, didn't I say that time is not right for talking cricket? But now the tension has subsided and it's time to resume cricketing ties," he said.

"You can't change your neighbours. Hence, the two countries should start talking peace instead of amassing troops on the border," he said.

He suggested that the two boards raise a joint India-Pakistan XI and throw a challenge to the rest of the world. "After all, if you can't play against each other, you certainly can join hands to play against a third country," he added.

"An exhibition five-match series between India-Pakistan XI and World Cup champions Australia, for instance, will certainly be a big draw and, more importantly, will help in cooling down the charged atmosphere," he said.

"Also, India and Pakistan have their own pluses: India have a strong batting line-up while Pakistan boasts of a nagging attack. The combination of the two could be lethal," he said.