BCCI working on SA tour substitute

The BCCI is believed to be working on a back-up plan for the trouble-hit tour of South Africa in November and December. It could involve hosting an ODI tri-series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the details are likely to be discussed in Chennai on Saturday, when officials from the three boards attend an Asian Cricket Council meeting.

The ACC meeting is scheduled two days before Cricket South Africa chief Haroon Lorgat and BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel meet in Dubai on the sidelines of an ICC board meeting to try and resolve the impasse over India's tour of South Africa.

If a tri-series is organised, it will effectively replace the limited-overs leg of the bilateral series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE, but it would also mean either a cancelled or severely curtailed India tour of South Africa.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are set to play two Twenty20 internationals, five ODIs and three Tests from December 11 to January 20. The limited-overs leg concludes on December 27.

India's calendar includes a short series against West Indies in November and a tour of New Zealand from January 19. The only option for CSA is to host India for two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 international from December and ending with the New Year's Test. A tri-series in India would cut into this space.

PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed and SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga are expected to represent their boards at the ACC meeting. The ACC is headed by BCCI president N Srinivasan. The CEO of ACC, Syed Ashraful Haq, has also arrived in India.

The schedule for India's tour of South Africa was announced by CSA on July 8 but it immediately fell into problems and the schedule has not been endorsed by the BCCI. Though there has been no official statement, it appears the sticking point seems to be CSA's appointment of Lorgat as its chief executive despite a series of run-ins between Lorgat and the BCCI during his tenure as ICC chief.