BCCI to follow government's advice for Pakistan tour

Mumbai, Sept 24 (UNI) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today said it will follow the advice of the government before taking a final call on the next year's tour of Pakistan.

The cricket board said it had agreed in principle to the itinerary proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for India's tour of Pakistan early next year.

''Though we have finalised our Pakistan tour programme with the PCB but as the time of the tour comes nearer, we will be seeking the advice (on the itinerary) from our government,'' the board secretary Niranjan Shah said here today.

Shah, in fact, said the BCCI has finalised India's itinerary till the end of April, which includes the tour of New Zealand as well.

As per the itinerary finalised and released by the PCB yesterday, Rawalpindi is set to host a Test and a one-dayer during the January-February 2009 tour.

The PCB had also said, it might have to review the itinerary in the wake of the deadly blast in neighbouring Islamabad, while declaring the tour programme.

As per the programme, the January 4 to February 19 tour next year would feature three Tests, five one-dayers, a Twenty20 game and a three-day practice match at Hyderabad (Sind), which kicks off the visit.

A senior PCB official had said, the tour's itinerary was approved by the Indians (BCCI) but admitted they might want to have a review of venues after the Marriott hotel blast in Islamabad.

Teams playing in Rawalpindi used to stay at the Marriott hotel.

The PCB had also sent to the BCCI a brief of the security plan for the tour, which is on the lines of the one prepared for the (postponed) Champions Trophy with which the Indian board did not have any problems, according to a PCB official.

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