The big news: Cash hassles leave BCCI in a soup

With the India-England Test series just a week away from commencing, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has reached out to the host state associations inquiring whether they can afford to bear the costs of the matches allocated to them, reported The Indian Express. Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai are the five venues selected to host the five-match series. The Saurashtra Cricket Association, hosting the opening fixture on November 9, said that they don’t have any issues in organising the match, according to the report.

With the board already in a tussle with the Supreme Court for not implementing the Justice Lodha committee’s reforms, it has claimed that it was forced to cancel a warm-up match for England owing to the financial restrictions ordered by the apex court. As per the Supreme Court’s October 21 order, the BCCI is barred from releasing any funds to state associations until they implement all the Lodha reforms.

With the England team expected to arrive on Wednesday, a Memorandum of Understanding between the BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board is yet to be signed. This leaves the question of who will pay for the England cricket team’s expenses.

“In its October 21 order, the court has asked the Committee to set a threshold limit for any contract,” BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said. “Now, MoU is also an agreement and without the Lodha Committee’s approval we can’t sign one with our English counterpart. We are clueless about who will bear the expenses of the England cricket team. We seek direction from the Supreme Court-appointed Committee because the whole matter has been put in their hands by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. I have even sent letters to all five Test centres, asking: ‘Please clarify if you are in a position to host the matches?’ I’m waiting for their replies,” he added.

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  1. The West Indies, owing to the heroics of captain Jason Holder, were in charge of the third Test against Pakistan as day three ended in Sharjah. Kraigg Brathwaite’s unbeaten knock of 142 took the visitors to 337 in reply to Pakistan's first-innings score of 281. As the second innings began, Holder ripped through the Pakistan batting line up, taking 3/10, as the hosts were struggling at 87/4 at the close of pay.
  2. Sri Lanka were in complete control of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Harare as they took a lead of 411 runs. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne struck a brilliant century as Sri Lanka began the day at 5/0. Dhananjaya de Silva (64) partnered Karunaratne, as Zimbabwe kept taking wickets at regular intervals. With a day’s play left, Zimbabwe will have to play their heart out to save this Test match.
  3. Former England captain Michael Vaughan warned that Ben Stokes is at a risk of a burnout considering the amount of expectations mounting on him ahead of the India tour. Stokes was outstanding against Bangladesh and was instrumental in leading his side to win the first Test in Chittagong.
  4. Ahead of the India tour, England’s Foreign Office has issued a list of things to do and not to do for the English fans travelling with the team, reported the Independent. Their major cause of concern was the consumption of alcohol, which is banned in most stadiums and states as well. Even travelling by bus is life threatening, it warned.