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India's tour to SL to be finalised at ICC meet soon

Sri Lanka's three-match ODI series against India scheduled for June will be finalised at the ICC board director's meeting at Cape Town early next month where representatives of all countries including India will be present.

Sa'adi Thawfeeq
25-Feb-2007


Sri Lanka will have a hectic schedule after the World Cup © Getty Images
Sri Lanka's three-match ODI series against India scheduled for June will be finalised at the ICC board director's meeting at Cape Town early next month where representatives of all countries including India will be present.
The Sri Lankan board's secretary K Mathivanan, who will represent Sri Lanka at the meeting, said he had got positive responses from both India and South Africa to postpone the Afro-Asia series scheduled for June to accommodate the Sri Lankan fixtures.
"Everything is expected to be finalised when I meet up with the representatives of India and South Africa at the ICC meeting," said Mathivanan. "India have a very tight schedule after the World Cup. They tour Bangladesh and then travel to Ireland for a three-match one-day international series against Australia as part of their commitment with Zee TV who are paying them handsomely to play several off-shore series," he added.
"The Afro-Asia series was sandwiched between these tours and there was no way they could have come to Sri Lanka unless it was postponed."
Sri Lanka are also scheduled to play in a triangular one-day series in Abu Dhabi towards the end of April where the participation fee for each team is expected to be in the region of US$ 500,000 to 750,000. Pakistan and South Africa are likely to be the other countries to participate.
Sri Lanka have a busy schedule for the rest of the year with Bangladesh touring in June for a series of two Tests and three ODIs followed by the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September. England will then arrive for five ODIs in October and then return after Christmas for the second leg of their tour which will feature a series of three Tests. Sri Lanka will also have two legs on their tour of Australia which starts in November with two Tests. Their second leg commences in January when they go back for the one-day triangular series.