Indian news round-up

The director of operations of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Yawar Saeed on Monday confirmed Pakistan's participation in the one-day tournament against India in Toronto. He also said that plans for the Indian tour to Pakistan later this year are being finalised.

Speaking to a news agency in Karachi, Saeed said that the programme for the Toronto series, scheduled to be held from September 9-17, was received by the PCB a few days ago. He said ``We are willing to participate in the event. The officials of the two boards discussed cricketing ties and now we are finalising India's tour itinerary to Pakistan.''

Pakistan and India started the series of matches annualy at the off shore venue in 1996. But last year India refused to play against Pakistan due to the Kargil crisis. Instead, both teams played three matches each against the West Indies.

Mazhar Khan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) representative in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), said in Dubai that Oman has been included in the ACC as an associate member.

Speaking to a Gulf newspaper on Sunday, Khan said ``The letter approving the membership from the ACC chief, Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia, will be reaching Oman soon.'' Khan said that the Emirates Cricket Board president, Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, was keen on getting enough oppertunities for the Gulf countries to play cricket at the highest level.

Khan said that all the ACC members were satisfied with the popularity of the game in the Sultanate. The Gulf newspaper reported that Oman's name was proposed by the UAE cricket board during the 1999 ACC meeting in Colombo. The proposal was seconded by the then president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Raj Singh Dungarpur. The newspaper also reported that the Oman Cricket Board (OCB) is planning to host an India-Pakistan match in the near future.

Former Indian captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth said on Monday that the series of matches between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka for the Gopalan Trophy, is to be revived after being discontinued in the 80's.

Srikkanth, who has been appointed by the BCCI president AC Muthiah as the convener for the match, said that the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) was really keen on the resumption of cricketing ties with Tamil Nadu. He also revealed that the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has agreed in principle to the proposal and that he was expecting an official clearence soon.

Srikkanth said `` Sri Lanka is a strong team in world cricket and the Tamil Nadu youngsters stand to gain a lot from the exposure.'' The tentative dates for the four day match is September 16 to 19 and it will be held in Colombo. Apart from the four day match, Tamil Nadu would also play three one dayers, of which two are to be day-night matches. The annual match was last held in Colombo in 1982-83.