India offer to shift Ahmedabad Test

The Indian cricket board has agreed to shift the second Test out of Ahmedabad in deference to the wishes of the Pakistan Cricket Board, but has proposed a sixth one-dayer at the same venue. Announcing this at a press conference in Delhi, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the BCCI president, said that he was awaiting a response from the Pakistan Cricket Board to finalise the tour schedule.

Kolkata is likely to host the Test originally allotted to Ahmedabad and there is also a possibility that the series will be postponed by four to five days, to allow the the Indian board to sort out the television-rights issue. The working committee of the BCCI, which met in Delhi, did not discuss the matter today because the Madras High Court was still hearing a petition filed by Zee Telefilms challenging the cancellation of its bid.

Mahendra confirmed this and said, "The first Test will be played as scheduled in Mohali and the three-day match against Board President's XI will be hosted by Dharamshala. The itinerary will be redrawn and the tour will be deferred by four to five days." As per the earlier schedule, the Pakistan team was to arrive in India on February 24.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board has suggested Mumbai as an alternative venue for the Test that was supposed to be played in Ahmedabad, and asked the BCCI to give a counter-proposal on the venues in the next 24 hours. The Pakistan board maintained their reservations over playing in Ahmedabad, and Shaharyar Khan, the PCB's chairman, spoke to Jagmohan Dalmiya and the ICC's Ehsan Mani to update them on the latest developments.

In a PCB press release, Shaharyar denied reports that the Pakistan board had agreed to play a one-day international instead of the proposed Test at Ahmedabad. His comments came shortly after Natwar Singh, India's foreign minister, told reporters on board the flight from Islamabad to Lahore that Pakistan had agreed to consider playing a one-day match in Ahmedabad.