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No India - Pakistan cricket: Imran

''Yes. But, realistically, no,'' was former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan's reply, when asked whether it was safe for India and Pakistan to play cricket in a surcharged atmosphere.

''But once the tension started easing and peace is returned on the border, both the countries can be back into competition,'' he said, during a press meet organised by the Foreign Press Association of Sri Lanka today.

When asked about Pakistan's lacklustre performance in the World Cup final, he said: ''Every final is a test of nerves rather than a test of skills."

From his own experience, the former captain said, ''It is natural that you become nervous when the whole world is watching you in action. Unfortunately, that is what happened to the Pakistan players despite being very talented.''

He went on to add that the West Indies also faced a similar situation in the 1983 World Cup.

Imran had high regard for deposed Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

''Arjuna is a good captain. He has tactical leadership quality. I have seen him playing and respect him. He made an error in the beginning of the match and once you make an error it is very difficult to get back.''

Commenting on India's performance, he said it was amazing that a country with such good talent failed to produce fast bowlers like Javagal Srinath.

Sri lanka too, he felt, faced the same problem. "They have only one key bowler - Muthiah Muralitharan," he said.

UNI