21 February 2004	Saturday	29 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Feb 20: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has turned the issue of the forthcoming tour's itinerary into a big joke creating unnecessary confusion.

This unsavoury saga of itinerary has been going for weeks and the fault entirely lies with PCB who allowed the situation to become farcical giving the country a bad name.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar M. Khan had categorically stated on Thursday that the itinerary would be announced on Friday. An official of PCB, however, on Friday said that now the tour schedule was likely to be announced on Sunday.

But Board of Control for India (BCCI) chief Jagmohan Dalmiya was quoted by media on Friday that the itinerary would be announced on Saturday making it crystal clear that there was lack of communication between the officials of the two boards.

Why PCB has allowed BCCI to dictate terms clearly shows the incompetency of our cricket officials and their eagerness to please the visitors as they surrendered to Australians, Kiwis, West Indians and South Africans under similar circumstances.

Spineless PCB not for the first time has bowed down to demands of the visitors although the release of itinerary and selection of venues are the prerogative of the hosts.

To provide itinerary to the visitor's is just fulfilling an obligation and nothing else. It is incomprehensible that India or for that matter Australia and England would have allowed Pakistan to interefere in itinerary and venues selection.

AFP adds from Kolkata: "We are in the process of finalising the dates and venues, which will be announced after consulting the Pakistan Cricket Board tomorrow," Indian board president Jagmohan Dalmiya said on Friday.

Dalmiya said the tour could be delayed by five or six days. India were scheduled to tour Pakistan from March 4 for three Test matches and five one-dayers.

"The tour is likely to begin in the second week of March," Dalmiya said, adding that the schedule would not be curtailed. "The players will undertake a full tour of three Tests and five one-dayers apart from a warm-up game," he said. India last toured Pakistan for a Test series in 1989.