Indian news round-up

ACC delegation to meet Government on Pak tour: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) three-member delegation is expected to try and persuade the Indian Government to reconsider its decision on the Indian team's proposed tour of Pakistan early next year. Talking to AFP, the Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that he would lead the delegation which includes Sri Lankan Cricket Board president Thilanga Sumathipala and Tunku Imran, chairman of the Malaysian Cricket Association. "It will be in the first week of December, but an exact date is yet to be settled," Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury said they would meet the Union Sports Minister Uma Bharti and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh in this regard. "The Indian government took the decision in its own perspective, but our responsibility is to make them understand about the future of Asian cricket and it's development around the region," Chowdhury said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Tauqir Zia said he was confident that the three-member team would succeed in its mission. PTI, quoting a APP report where Zia expressed hope said "There is a 70 percent chance of the Indians landing in Pakistan. "I am sure the efforts of the committee will be fruitful."

The Delhi High Court has sought details from the Government on the facilities being offered by it to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in its capacity as an autonomous body. The BCCI has been asked to reply on the assistance - either financial or otherwise - they receive from the Government.

The Court has set February 14 as the next date of hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking independent probe into the board's functioning and its accounts. The PIL, filed by advocate Rahul Mehra, alleged that the BCCI was mismanaging the affairs of cricket in the country and spending very little amount of its earnings on the development of the game.

BCCI vice-president and disciplinary committee member Kamal Morarka's statement on Tuesday that "there was more corruption in the CBI than in cricket" has put the board in an embarrassing position. A BCCI statement said "It may be his view but has nothing to do with the BCCI. It is purely his individual feeling, the board does not agree with it." When confronted with his statement by the media, Morarka said "you (media) wanted some quote from me. I have given it to you".

Reacting to the comment, former CBI joint director and BCCI's anticommissioner K Madhavan said "it is in very bad taste and unwarranted. I have worked in the CBI for 30 years. I know it's functions. I strongly refute this statement. The CBI still has credibility and that is why everybody asks for a CBI inquiry."

The condition of the former Indian opener Pankaj Roy has improved considerably. Doctors however, have not proclaimed him out of danger. Roy is still being kept in the Intensive Care Unit of the Anandalok Nursing Home in Calcutta.

A spokesperson of the nursing home said that initially Roy had not been responding to treatment. However, his condition improved today. The spokesperson also added that for the moment he would be kept in the nursing home for at least a week under close observation. Roy has a chronic heart problem and is prone to cardiac attacks.