COLOMBO, June 24: Sri Lanka’s cricket board says it has agreed to a request to reschedule the forthcoming triangular one-day series to allow India’s players to participate in a proposed Afro-Asian contest in August.

The tri-series, which also includes India and West Indies, was due to start on Aug 2 but will now begin on July 30 with all seven games squeezed into 11 days.

The final will be played under lights at the Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo on Aug 9.

The proposed series between an Asian XI and African XI will raise funds for the welfare of players in the two continents and for the development of the new Afro-Asian Cricket Council, a new body set up by the Asian Cricket Council and the African Cricket Council.

The rescheduling has also affected the start of Sri Lanka’s two-test series at home to West Indies which will now begin on July 13.

West Indies will play one two-day, warm-up game before the first test in Colombo.

Schedule:

Test series

13-17 July - First test (Colombo)

21-25 July - Second test (Kandy)

Triangular series

30 July - India v Sri Lanka (Dambulla)

31 July - India v West Indies (Dambulla)

2 Aug - Sri Lanka v West Indies (Dambulla)

3 Aug - Sri Lanka v India (Dambulla)

6 Aug - West Indies v Sri Lanka (Colombo)

7 Aug - West Indies v India (Colombo)

9 Aug - Final (Colombo).—AFP