Backyard venue for Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test match

The itinerary for the tour of South Africa,however,has been put on hold as the working committee decided to finalise it later. Also Read: India retain top-spot in ICC ODI rankings

“We believe that we need to play some more cricket at home after the ODI series against Australia in October. So we have decided to invite West Indies. Tentatively we have decided to play two Tests and five ODIs. There could be some changes though,and the itinerary will be made official next week,” BCCI vice-president Niranjan Shah said.

Tendulkar,who needs just two more Tests to reach his 200th,has an opportunity to achieve the historic feat at home. Tendulkar was supposed to reach this major landmark in South Africa as India were scheduled to tour away during the second week of November.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) sent an itinerary to the BCCI that had two T20 internationals,three Tests and seven ODIs. But the Indian cricket board has rejected it and now the tour is going to be a truncated one,starting not before mid-December.

“Kolkata and Mumbai are going to be the likely venues (for the Tests against the West Indies). We want the second Test to be played at Eden Gardens,” Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) treasurer Biswarup Dey said.

AGM on September 29

The focus on Sunday was firmly on N Srinivasan ahead of the working committee meeting. The BCCI’s president,who stepped aside for interim head Jagmohan Dalmiya,attended the meeting but didn’t chair it. Also Read: BCCI allows Srinivasan to perform statutory functions

“Dalmiya was in the chair. He informed the members that there were certain constitutional and statutory functions of the president,which would have to be discharged by N Srinivasan till the next Annual General Meeting (AGM). It was decided that the working committee invite N Srinivasan to perform his constitutional and statutory functions and attend the meeting,” said a BCCI release.

Srinivasan also fixed the date and venue of the BCCI’s 84th AGM,which would be held in Chennai on September 29. According to the BCCI office bearers,Srinivasan will preside over the AGM. “Did I do anything wrong? Was there any accusation against me? Only a section of the media is saying certain things. Yes,I will chair the meeting (AGM),” said Srinivasan.

He stepped aside in June after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested for his alleged involvement in cricket betting. The matter is now in the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court declared the BCCI-instituted two-member probe panel “illegal” and “unconstitutional”.

Dalmiya was appointed the functional head and he will continue to be in charge of the BCCI’s day-to-day affairs till the AGM.

Pace Partnership

The working committee also approved the recommendations made by the National Cricket Academy board and has decided ‘to enter into an arrangement with the MRF Pace Foundation.

The NCA will use the facilities of the KSCA at Alur,near Bangalore and will set up zonal academies in every zone,including a dedicated academy for the North-Eastern States at Guwahati.

The BCCI anti-corruption commissioner Ravi Sawani’s inquiry report on the tainted Rajasthan Royals trio of S Sreesanth,Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila was also tabled in the meeting and was forwarded to the BCCI disciplinary committee,which will meet in New Delhi on September 13.