Busy schedule awaits India from September

MUMBAI, JUNE 6. Indian cricketers, who have a two-and-a-half- month break now, would be in the thick of action once again from September commencing with the annual five-match series against Pakistan at Toronto.

The Toronto series, which was originally to end with this year's edition, would be held next year too following last year's rescheduled series of matches against the West Indies in the aftermath of the Kargil crisis when the government advised the cricket board not to play against Pakistan.

The Toronto series would be followed by a visit to the desert venue of Sharjah in the last week of October for the tri- series featuring India, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, board secretary Jaywant Lele informed PTI from Baroda on Tuesday.

India would then play host to a two-Test and five- match limited- overs international series against Zimbabwe in November-December before taking on Australia at home in a three- Test series followed by a five-match limited-overs series in February-March, 2001, according to Lele.

The series against Australia will be followed by a visit to Sharjah in April for another tri-series featuring India and Pakistan as two of the three teams. ``The third team is as yet undecided, but in all probability would be the West Indies,'' Lele added.

In between the home engagements against Zimbabwe and Australia, India may visit Pakistan for a Test and one-day international series too if the board gets the green signal from the government, Lele said.

``The Pakistan board is very keen that India play at least a two- Test and five-match one-day series,'' he added.

India would also be playing in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) knock-out tournament, scheduled to be held at Nairobi before the Sharjah tri-series, Lele said. ``It is likely to be held between October 12 and 20,'' the board secretary added.

The first ICC knock-out tournament was held in Dhaka in 1998 and won by South Africa.

- PTI

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