An ancient fort, much reduced by the ravages of war and time, still stands tall over the city of Multan.

Like every citadel, this fort too has lived to tell the tale of victors and the vanquished over the ages. It still commands the best view of the city.

The vantage point from the fort was the key to Multan’s defense against invaders from time immemorial. It is a timeless edifice bearing mute testimony to the bravery and chicanery of men.

It is said that it was here that Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king, was wounded by a spear during a heroic rush. Leading the battle, as was his wont, he with a handful of men scaled the wall and fell upon an area thick with enemies.

The wound took its toll as Alexander continued on to Macedonia. He managed to reach Baghdad but reportedly died of malaria soon afterwards.

The Moguls, Persians, Afghans and Sikhs too fought for this West Pakistani city. Finally it was the British who brought the city under their control.

The British legacy was to leave the fort in ruins.

Now, another British legacy is making inroads into Multan.

Cricket, which had been a source of a vicarious war between India and Pakistan, is now turning into a bridge of hope for the two nations.

The ongoing Friendship Series has at least made a small beginning in reaching out - and people here, not as cricket-mad as the two larger cities Karachi and Lahore, are slowly cottoning on, in an area where one of the major crops is cotton.

But harvesting talent from this region will take some time.

This was the view of former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam, who was present at the Multan Cricket Stadium to witness Virender Sehwag’s heroics.

Intikhab, who runs the Lahore Cricket Academy, says that major cities will still produce major talents.

But cities like Multan can produce cricketers of high caliber.

“It is up to the local boards to spot the talent, and then we in Lahore can hone it. Our job is to mold the youngsters in the early ages — 10 to 12 — and then allow them to compete with the best,” he said.

He was also happy that the matches between India and Pakistan have been revived.

“It is a tentative beginning.

“But I would like to see cricket without this security. Understandably this tight security is necessary, but hopefully in the future the players would be allowed more freedom to mix and meet people and make new friends.”

“I still remember my trip to India during the 1960-61 series, and the friends I made. We are still in touch, and it is this sort of ties, that multiplied, strengthen bonds,” he said.

“Hopefully we will see this in future tours.

“I would like to take this concept a bit further by setting up an Ashes-like contest every year or every two years, and from there increase cricketing ties by holding a contest between the winners of the Ranji Trophy and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with the venue alternating between India and Pakistan,” Intikhab added.

“Why stop there? We can develop ties at club and school levels too. For cricket is one of the many means of developing contacts.”

He also called for the setting up of an international panel of curators to prepare pitches that do not provide an advantage to the home side.

“We have panels for everything today, so why not curators?

It is only when wickets are sporting that Test cricket will not lose out to the One-Day version,” he said.

“The team of 15 curators should prepare two strips for use for the match, with both equally sporting,” he added.

The invasion of the shorter version of the game and its growing stranglehold on the imagination of the people is affecting the status of Tests.

It could become like the weatherworn fort in Multan — lofty and majestic but in ruins.