Nair denies reports of government refusing permission

SK Nair, the BCCI secretary, has denied reports of the Indian government refusing permission for the under-19 team's tour to Pakistan. Speaking to Wisden CricInfo, Nair said that the board was awaiting the government's sanction for the tour. "We are following it up with the Indian government at various levels."

Nair also said that the dates given in the news report in question were incorrect. He said that the Asian Cricket Council had proposed to hold four tournaments for junior, academy and A teams from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament for the National Cricket Academy teams was proposed to be held in Sri Lanka in September, followed by an under-19 event in Pakistan in November. India were scheduled to host the last two tournaments - the A-team competition in December and the under-17 Asia Cup in January 2004.