BCCI to finalise Indo-Pak itinerary tomorrow

With the series against Pakistan just a week away, the Board of Control for Cricket in India will meet in New Delhi on Thursday to ratify the final itinerary and discuss a host of other issues, including award of television rights, for the high-profile series.

Ahmedabad, a proposed venue to host a Test match in the series between the arch-rivals, is expected to figure prominently in tomorrow's Working Committee meeting after Pakistan's refusal play there on security grounds.

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Pakistan expressed reservations of playing a Test or even a one-day international in Ahmedabad which witnessed communal riots in 2002, and this may probably leave BCCI with no other option but to change the venue.

The Board has tentatively fixed Mohali, Bangalore and Ahmedabad as the venues for the three Tests while Kochi, Vishakhapatnam, Kanpur, Jamshedpur and Delhi are proposed to host the five one-dayers.

The vexed television rights issue is also in the agenda for discussion and BCCI is likely to take a decision on the matter tomorrow. The Board had told the Madras High Court last week that it would not finalise the telecast rights for the series till February 17.

The BCCI counsel had given an undertaking to the court, following a petition by Zee Telefilms Ltd, that it would not finalise tenders or contracts for telecast of cricket matches to be played in the country including the India-Pakistan series till February 17.

The meeting will also approve the budget for the Pakistan team's tour besides ratifying the appointment of John Gloster as the physiotherapist of the Indian teams with effect from February 1.

Gloster, who worked with the Bangladesh national team over the last four years and was instrumental along with coach Dave Whatmore in putting in place a system for them, will replace Andrew Leipus.

Leipus quit as physio after India's tour of Bangladesh last month as he wanted to pursue higher studies.

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The meeting will also consider the report of the Grounds and Wicket Committee regarding pitch preparation for matches during the tours of Australian and South African cricket teams in October last year.

It will also discuss recommendations of the Umpires Committee which met in Delhi December last year.

Besides updating the members on the pending legal cases against the Board, the meeting will also finalise the modalities of the release of 'Social History of Indian Cricket' and '70 Years of Domestic Tournaments' and other related arrangements.