New Delhi: It will not exactly be a diplomatic battle but an exciting war when the British High Commission in India takes on the Ministry of External Affairs in a cricket match this weekend.

The annual fixture would be a 25-25 over cricket match and will be held on Sunday in the capital.

"We English invented the game of cricket but I have never seen more passion for the game than here in India whether I have been watching or playing the game myself," Paul Michael, BHC team leader said.

According to Kuldeep Bhardwaj, Skipper of the MEA cricket team, "India and the United Kingdom have age-old and time-tested historical relationship".

"The annual game of cricket between the Ministry of External Affairs and the British High Commission is another link in these bonds and through cricket diplomacy we try to reaffirm the close relationship between the two countries," he said.

Though cricket ties between the MEA and BHC are very old, a new dimension was added to them in 2005 by the MEA in the form of a rolling trophy, which would be an annual feature.
Source : PTI