Host BCCI asks England to pay their expenses of India tour

Bengaluru, Nov 4: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to pay the expenses of their India tour after failing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) due to Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha Committee.

Ind-Eng series schedule; 'Ind-Eng matches in jeopardy'

England cricket team has already arrived in India to play a 5-Test series starting in Rajkot on November 9. However, with no MoU between the 2 boards, the BCCI has apologised to its English counterpart and asked to bear the expenses. (Lodha panel asks for payment details)

Host BCCI asks England to pay their expenses of India tour

As per agreements in bilateral series, the hosting country, in this case, India, will pay the expenses of the visiting team (England), including hotel stay and travel. However, in a strange scenario arising now, BCCI has expressed its inability to play the perfect host.

"Dear Phil, I warmly welcome you for the upcoming cricket series. I am however at great pains to inform you that the BCCI is at present not in a position to execute the MoU between the Indian Cricket Board and the ECB. This is due to restrictions on execution of contracts imposed on the BCCI by a Court order," BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke wrote to England team's manager Phil Neal, according to a report today (November 4) in "The Indian Express" newspaper.

The Lodha panel had asked BCCI for payment details and the Indian cricket board has claimed that the committee had not allowed them to sign MoU with ECB.

In their response to BCCI, Lodha panel had stated: "The proposed MoU between BCCI and ECB concerns bilateral cricketing policy, the formulation of which is not a part of the mandate of the Committee. As far as payments are concerned, if they are to be made directly by the BCCI, no directions can be given by this Committee until relevant details are furnished by the BCCI."

Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoted sources last night (November 3) and said the entire "England series was in jeopardy".

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