Sri Lanka will tour India for a five match ODI series after the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) accepted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invitation to fill the void created by West Indies’ cancellation of the rest of their tour over a payment dispute.
The West Indies Cricket Board has cancelled all future games in their tour of India due to a payment dispute with its players.
The cancellation was announced while the tourists were playing their fourth match of the series on Friday and the a joint press release issued by the BCCI and SLC said that the latter has accepted the invitation to play five ODIs in India from November 1.
West Indies will not play any more games in their tour. A fifth one-dayer, a Twenty20 match and three Tests were on the itinerary.
“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 joint press release said.
Although India and Sri Lanka have met often at international competitions in recent past, it is the first time that Sri Lanka tour India for a series since 2009.
Sri Lanka will have a busy schedule ahead of the ICC World Cup with the tour of India preceding a seven match ODI series against England in Sri Lanka and a seven match series against New Zealand.
BCCI shocked over West Indies pull out
The BCCI said it had been informed by West Indies team manager Richie Richardson that the squad will not be taking part in the rest of the tour.
“The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board),” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.
“The WICB’s inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved.
“The withdrawal gives little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and WICB.”
West Indies one-day captain Dwayne Bravo has said before the start of the tour on October 8 that the players had not accepted a payment agreement signed on their behalf by the West Indies Players Association with the WICB.
