ATC will be held even without India
The Asian Cricket Council will go ahead with the Asian Test championship as per schedule
even if India pulls out, though it is prepared to
"bend backward" to ensure all countries participate, Asian Cricket Foundation chairman Jagmohan Dalmiya told newsmen in Calcutta on Thursday.
Saying the Asian Cricket Council is optimistic about the Indian government granting the team permission to play in Pakistan, Dalmiya said the Board of Control for Cricket in India has been given time till August 23 to confirm its participation in the tournament.
"The BCCI has been asked to confirm whether they will play in the championship by August 23. We are hopeful of getting a favourable response from them," Dalmiya said, adding that BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele has been invited to attend the ACF conclave to discuss the issue.
"The BCCI is expecting to get the clearance from the Indian goverment by Monday," Dalmiya informed.
He said that ACC is willing to "bend backwards" and
give a couple of more days to India if it could help in
ensuring their participation, but not at the cost of disrupting
the tournament schedule.
"Obviously, the championship will lose much of its
glamour if India pulls out. But cricket has to go on. It is
desirable that all four countries play since the world is
looking at this meet," he said.
Dalmiya said the ACC had drawn up the Asian Test championship
schedule after the BCCI had submitted a letter from the government
stating that it had no objection to India playing against
Pakistan in multilateral tournaments.
He said the championship will begin on schedule with
Pakistan taking on Bangladesh in Multan on August 29 while
three matches are scheduled in the month of September.
Asked whether the ACC is contemplating any penalty on the BCCI
if India withdraws from the championship, Dalmiya said, "We are
not thinking of penalties. We want that India should play."
On the playing conditions for the second edition of the
championship, Dalmiya said the ACC's technical committee met on Thursday under the chairmanship of Sunil Gavaskar and finalised the playing conditions and the points system.
The technical committee decided that the standard playing
conditions adopted by the International Cricket Council, which would be applicable from September 1, would be followed for the championship.
Dalmiya said the committee devised a new points system, whereby a team scoring an innings victory would earn 16 points, while 12 points would be awarded for an outright win.
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