BCCI denies pulling out from Malaysia tri-series

India today denied reports that they had pulled out from a triangular cricket tournament in Malaysia, also involving Pakistan, saying they had never agreed to play there.

"There is no question of us pulling out (from the tournament)," Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jaywant Lele told PTI over phone from Mumbai on Tuesday night. "We were just invited to play there but its timing did not suit us. Therefore we did not accept the invitation," Lele said.

A senior Pakistan Cricket Board official Brigadier Munawwar Rana was quoted by AFP from Karachi as saying that India had pulled out of the tournament because Pakistan was also competing in it.

"The Malaysian Cricket Association has informed us that the planned tri-series between Pakistan, India and Malaysia has been cancelled because of India's refusal to play," Rana was quoted by AFP as saying.

"They (India) have said that the time was short but it is not an appropriate excuse," Rana said, adding the real reason was that they did not want to play Pakistan.

"It's disappointing that India has turned down the invitation because this would have given a tremendous boost to cricket in Malaysia," Rana said.

However, Lele said India was not aware that Pakistan was also playing in the tournament. "We did not know who the other two parties were," he said.

Malaysia had invited Pakistan and India for a tri-series with them from January 29 to February 9 in Kuala Lumpur, according to the AFP report.