February 25, 2008	Monday	Safar 17, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 24: While citing players’ fatigue due to non-stop three-month activities as a reason, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has turned down its Pakistan counterpart’s request of the proposed short three-match One-day International series that was to take place in March.

“The short tour of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan, comprising three ODIs, which was proposed [by the PCB] to be played in mid March has been rejected,” a PCB spokesman said on Sunday.

“Mr Sharad Pawar, president BCCI, in a telephone call to the PCB chairman [Nasim Ashraf], earlier today, stated that despite BCCI’s keenness for the tour to have taken place, due to the fatigue of Indian players, who have been playing non-stop international cricket for the last three months with a very short interval between the end of India’s tour to Australia and their next commitment against South Africa at home starting on March 20, it practically became impossible to squeeze in a short tour to Pakistan at this time. India, however, promised to find time to play this short series any time before the Champions Trophy in September 2008,” the spokesman further said.

The series was proposed by the PCB, keeping in view the uncertainty of the Australian tour to Pakistan, which is still in the doldrums, due to the security concerns of the visitors.

The PCB has proposed the series after Cricket Australia suggested delaying their tour of Pakistan tentatively to March 29 from the earlier date of March 10, so that they could monitor the law and order situation in Pakistan after the country’s general elections on Feb 18.

The PCB had decided to invite India in order to make up for the loss in case the Australians cancelled the tour altogether.