BCCI headed for confrontation with ECB
The England and Wales Cricket Board will decide on Monday whether to accede to the Board of Control for Cricket in India's demand of playing an extra one-day international when the
team returns to India after a Christmas and New Year
break.
The BCCI wants England to play six matches
instead of five as is scheduled to compensate for the
extra Test that India is scheduled to play on their return
tour to England next year.
India has also asked England to
play five Test matches when they come for their next tour in
the winter of 2004-05.
ECB Chief Executive Tim Lamb on Thursday said "it would not be
possible" to agree to the Indian demand since the England team
had a very busy schedule next year.
After "hectic and lengthy
discussions" with BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Niranjan Shah, Lamb is now ready to give
his feedback to the ECB management board which will meet in
London on Monday to take a final decision on the issue.
Maintaining that matches should be played on a basis of
reciprocity, India has threatened to play only three Tests on
the return tour, the same number that England will play on
their ongoing tour.
However, the ECB insists that India must fulfill its
commitment of playing four Tests as has been agreed to
earlier.
"The controversy has arisen because India are not
ready to honour the written agreement that was given by the previous BCCI secretary [Jaywant Lele], that the team would
play four Tests in England," Lamb said.
"We have proceeded on that basis and it would be very
difficult to curtail the tour to three Test matches. The
TV sponsorship deals have been finalised, tickets have been
sold and the schedule has been published.
"I have been trying to get the views of all concerned on
this matter which I will forward to the management board. I
also had fairly intensive discussions with the players and
they are not keen on playing an extra match here as they have
to proceed to New Zealand immediately after this tour to play
five one-day internationals with them," Lamb said.
However, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said India is justified in demanding an extra one-day international.
"The ICC's 10-year calendar was prepared way back and things have
changed a lot since then. India have a very hectic schedule
and we can play an extra match only if the opposition is also
ready to oblige us," Shah said.
He said BCCI had given its proposal to Lamb and it is now for the ECB to decide on the issue. He, however, was hopeful
that a compromise would be worked out.
"That's what we are looking for. Playing the sixth match
is the compromise," Shah said.
Mail Cricket Editor