Within few hours of announcing that West Indies will fly back home after the fourth one-dayer, owing to pay dispute between players and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
The BCCI acted swiftly in getting the Islanders on board to fill the void, after getting mail from the Windies board that they are to leave the tour prematurely. Windies were to play one ODI, one-off T20 and three Tests as per the schedule.
The Indian board in a statement confirmed the tour and thanked the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to accept the request on a quick notice. According to the BCCI release, the series will start from November 1 and the itinerary will be announced soon.
“Following the decision of the WICB to cancel its ongoing tour of India, the BCCI commenced discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket for a limited-overs series in India in November 2014.”
“Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed a five-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka, to be played from 1 November 2014. The series promises to be an exciting one, with Sri Lanka placed 4th in the world rankings in ODIs. India is ranked 3rd, with only 2 points separating the teams.”
“The BCCI wishes to thank SLC for its swift response and for extending its support to ensure that the international cricket season is not curtailed. The details of the venues and fixtures will be announced soon.”
There were reports that the Lankan board has rejected BCCI’s request of playing one-off T20 against Team India but quickly confirmed the five-match series with the sub-continent neighbours.
