MCA cancels Kenya visit

The Bombay cricket team's scheduled 13-day tour of Kenya this month has been cancelled due to non-availability of master batsman Sachin Tendulkar and two other leading players, who will be attending a conditioning camp for the 23 India probables during that period.

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India informing the Mumbai Cricket Association that its players -- Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar and Vinod Kambli -- all probables for the October 3 to 15 ICC Knock-out tournament in Nairobi, have to report for the conditioning camp at Madras from September 14, and the Kenya Cricket Association wanting nothing less than a full-strength side to tour, the MCA were forced to call off the tour.

The Bombay team was scheduled to play four one-dayers and a three-day match against a Kenya Cricket Association XI from September 14-26.

Tendulkar, who has been out of action for quite some time, was reportedly very keen to tour and play competitive matches against the Kenyan national team to fine tune himself for the subsequent ICC Knock-out Cup tournament.

"When I knew that the dates of Bombay team's tour clashed with the national camp I contacted Board secretary (Jaywant) Lele and was told to attend the camp," Tendulkar said on Wednesday.

Asked about the availability of three players who are playing on the English County circuit, captain Sourav Ganguly, his deputy Rahul Dravid and leg spinner Anil Kumble, Lele said the trio will return home as soon as they finish their county engagements, around September 16 or 17.

"They are expected to join the camp by September 18," the Board secretary added.

The Board had excused the trio from attending the Asia Cup camp, held in May-June at Pune, due to their County commitments.

Ganguly, who led India at the continental event at Dhaka, reached Pune on the last day of the camp and attended the selection committee meeting to finalise the team with coach Kapil Dev.

The other two players, Dravid and Kumble, flew down directly from England to Bangladesh in time for the four-nation tournament in which India failed to reach the final.

While there is as yet no word from the Board whether Kapil will be retained as coach or not for the Nairobi event, Ganguly is expected to be present at the selection committee meeting in Madras, on September 20, where the final squad will be picked.

Mail Cricket Editor