India's cricket board said Friday it will try to prevent the upcoming cricket series against Pakistan from clashing with the general elections in India.
"We've checked the proposed tour dates with the Election Commission to ensure there's no clash," Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the cricket board, told reporters. "The Election Commission has cleared our dates. We're hoping to announce the schedule by Saturday."
India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee dissolved Parliament on Feb. 6, paving the way for elections five to six months early, but procedural hurdles have prevented the polling dates from being made public.
India will play three tests and five one-day internationals in Pakistan in March and April, but the schedule will be finalized after the board accommodates suggestions from a home ministry security expert sent to review the Pakistan venues.
The security expert had visited Pakistan as part of a three-member delegation to examine the proposed venues. News media reported that he had suggested moving test matches from two trouble spots, Karachi and Peshawar.
Dalmiya said he had also spoken to officials of the federal interior and sports ministries about the schedule.
The Indian tour was expected to start in the first week of March, but Dalmiya said scheduling hassles may force the cricket board to defer it by a week.
"A lot of things are involved. We're quite close to finalizing the tour details," he said.
RSS