BCCI requests for three Tests in West Indies

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has requested their West Indies counterparts to finalise three Test matches instead of four proposed during its two-month tour there commencing from May 15.

"We have requested the West Indies Board to drop one Test from the itinerary as India has already surplus Test matches played there," Chairman of the Fixtures Committee of BCCI, Shashank Manohar told reporters after the Committee meeting in Karachi on Tuesday.

He said India would also play five one-day internationals there between May 15 and July 5.

BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, who was also present on the occasion said, India would take part in triangular series in Sri Lanka in August this year with Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Manohar said an India 'A' team will tour Australia while an under-19 team will visit England in June-July this year.

BCCI has also requested the organisers in Abu Dhabi to postpone the India 'A' team's itinerary till March 20 in view of ongoing domestic cricket season.

The team has been invited from March 9 to 20 to play in Abu Dhabi.

The BCCI decided to cut drastically the number of complimentary tickets by the respective affiliated units. From the 700 complimentary tickets presently issued, about 200 would be cut in view of crowded enclosures. Manohar said about 60 percent of complimentary tickets would be accommodated in adjoining pavilions in the stadia.

These complimentary tickets are causing lot of problem for BCCI and the hosts, he added.

To a question, Shah said the ICC team was presently inspecting various proposed venues for forthcoming Champions Trophy and denied that all such proposed venues will only be floodlit.

BCCI appointed Observers for all the matches of the forthcoming tour of England, commencing later this month.

Manohar, a Vice-President of BCCI said, "In my personal opinion the wickets in Pakistan should have been sporting to benefit both batsmen and bowlers."

The meeting was attended by others including Shashikant Srivastava, K S Vishwanath, Amitabh Choudhary, Hitesh Patel, R S Varshneya, M Pandav and Ratnakar Shetty.