Government okays Sharjah charity trip

The Government of India Friday granted permission to the Indian cricket team to visit Sharjah for a charity one-day tri-series, involving Pakistan and Bangladesh, from February 8 to 11.

The series, specially organised by the Asian Cricket Council along with the Cricketers Benevolent Fund Series for the Gujarat earthquake victims, is expected to raise around Rs 200 million.

Board of Control for Cricket in India executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar said the team for the series, which will be picked on Monday, will leave from Bombay on February 7. He said the teams have agreed to play free.

The title sponsorship will be announced on Monday, he added.

Thus, the Hero Honda Challenger series between India Seniors, India 'A' and India 'B', scheduled at Madras around the same time, has been postponed.

The plan to help quake-stricken Gujarat came up at an ACC meeting in Lahore last weekend.

India will be thus play Pakistan after 19 months. The last time the two teams met was in the World Cup in England, where India won.

UNI

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