India bows to Australia's wishes

Australia's keenly-awaited cricket tour of India will go ahead as scheduled next month after the hosts agreed to revert to the original itinerary, sources said on Tuesday.

The Australians were upset that India wanted to cancel a three-day match so that the tour did not clash with the Sharjah tri-series between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka from April 4

. Sharjah organisers have now agreed to postpone the tri-series by four days, paving the way for the Australians to complete the Indian tour by the orginally agreed date of April 6.

"We have agreed to India's request to postone our event," said Zahid Noorani, chief executive of the Sharjah-based Cricketers Benefit Fund Series.

The Sharjah tri-series will now be played from April 8 to 20.

Jayawant Lele, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said the Australian tour programme will be formally unveiled in New Delhi on January 22.

But sources indicated the tourists, who arrive on February 14, will play two three-day matches at Baroda (Feb 17-19) and Bombay (Feb 22-24) before the first Test starts in Bombay on February 27.

Another three-day match at New Delhi from March 6-8 will be followed by back-to-back Tests at Madras (March 11-15) and Calcutta (March 18-22).

There will also be five one-day internationals at various centres across India before the tour ends on April 6.

Lele made light of the Australian Cricket Board's decision to send it's chief executive Malcolm Speed to India this week to sort out the itinerary.

"Speed is coming here on a personal visit, it's got nothing to do with the tour," Lele said.

"It's not anyone's concern how we draw up the schedule. You will get the details on January 22," he told a persistent reporter.

Australian captain Steve Waugh considers the Indian tour the last unconquered frontier for his world-beating team. Australia, who recently secured a record 15-match winning streak, have not won a Test series in India in 31 years.

Read earlier stories:

The Australian itinerary in full

Why sweat the small stuff?

Kamal Morarka on the date mess

Mail Cricket Editor