England rejects offer of extra ODI

The English cricket board has rejected India's offer of an additional one-day match between the two sides in January as a quid pro quo for a Test match it does not want to play in England next summer.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has refused to agree to a four-Test series in England in June-July. It, however, said it would agree to the fourth Test only if the England and Wales Cricket Board were to permit six one-day internationals, instead of five as scheduled, in January-February in India.

"India normally plays three Tests in England on a reciprocal basis," a senior BCCI official said.

"But we were willing to accommodate the fourth Test scheduled to be played in England in September, provided they played an additional one-day match in India. But they have refused our offer."

Cricket administrators of the two countries are already at loggerheads whether Virender Sehwag, slapped a one-Test ban by the International Cricket Council, is eligible to play the Mohali Test between the two sides, beginning Monday.

International Cricket Council match referee Mike Denness had banned Sehwag from the third Test against South Africa in Centurion recently.

But since the third match was played without Denness as the match referee, the ICC has refused to recognise it as a Test.

As such the ban on Sehwag remains valid even though he did not play the last match in South Africa. The ICC wants him dropped from the Mohali Test.

The BCCI contends that since Sehwag has already served the ICC ban at Centurion, he is eligible to play the first Test at Mohali. But the ICC is in no mood to relent and has even asked the Indian cricket board to announce the team for the Mohali Test to BCCI to prepare its response.

England has already added to the high drama by saying that if the Mohali Test is declared void, it would not play a "friendly" match and instead return home.

"The ECB said their players would not be able to play the additional one-dayer because they would be too tired by the end of the five-match series," said the BCCI official.

He justified BCCI's refusal to play a fourth Test in England, pointing to the ICC's 10-year calendar for all 10 Test-playing countries.

"When the itinerary for England tour was drawn, the ICC calendar was not in place. But when we saw the calendar, we said 'no, we can't play four Tests, but only three'."

The ECB has refused to allow any change in the itinerary now, saying it is too late as tickets sales and series promotion have begun in all earnest in England.

Interestingly, Indian cricket administrators under previous BCCI president A.C. Muthiah, had agreed to a four-Test series in England next summer. The current BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, it is said, is not on the best of terms with the ECB officials, a fact that could be the key to the controversy.

--Indo-Asian News Service

Mail Cricket Editor