BCCI yet to finalise Indian players for Asia XI-World XI match

Though reports suggested that Virat Kohli could be one of the four players to feature in the Asian XI, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said negotiations are still on with the BCB.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said negotiations with the BCB are ongoing.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to finalise on the players who will be sent for the fixture between Asia XI and World XI, to be played in Dhaka in March to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Even though reports suggested that Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Shikhar Dhawan and Kuleeep Yadav will feature in the fixture, the BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly made it clear that they are still in talks with the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

“We are seeing the availability of the players and based on that we will finalise the names. The talk is still on,” Ganguly told Sportstar, indicating that a total of five players could be available for the game. The two T20 exhibition matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on March 18 and 21.

CAC to meet soon

The Board president also stated that the Cricket Advisory Committee -- comprising Madan Lal, Shubhangi Kulkarni and R.P. Singh -- will meet in the next few days to decide on appointing the selectors for the senior and junior panels. He also made it clear that the two vacant positions in the senior selection committee will be filled before India’s home series against South Africa, next month.

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Ganguly also confirmed that the interviews for the women’s selection panel, too, will be conducted alongside. “The women’s selection committee will be picked by the office-bearers and we will begin the process soon,” the BCCI chief said.

The curators meet

At the Board’s headquarters on Friday, Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council chairman, Brijesh Patel, had a discussion with the curators of all the state associations, which will host the IPL fixtures. While both Patel and the curators termed the meeting as a ‘routine’ affair, it was learned that a few guidelines have been laid out for the associations. “It was a general meeting, where a few matters were discussed with the curators, to ensure that the tournament goes off smoothly,” one of the Board officials said.

ACC meeting in Dubai

A decision on whether Pakistan will host the Asia Cup is expected soon as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board members are likely to meet in Dubai on March 2.

With India refusing to travel to Pakistan owing to security reasons, there are possibilities that the Asia Cup could be moved to a neutral venue. Earlier, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ehsan Mani had told  Sportstar  that the ACC will have to decide on whether the tournament will be held in Pakistan or at a neutral venue.

Ganguly, who is a member of the ACC Executive Board, is expected to attend the ACC Board meeting along with secretary Jay Shah.