BCCI reportedly lines up home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in November-December

In October, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might face an unlikely gap in their scheduling because of the unresolved pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association. But a Mumbai Mirror report suggests the vacuum that may be created in the duration between India’s return from Sri Lanka in September and the South Africa tour in January has already been filled. [caption id=“attachment_3772353” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image of BCCI. AFP[/caption] The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly lined up home series against Sri Lanka in November and New Zealand in December. It also expressed confidence that the Australian pay dispute will be resolved in time for the seven-match home ODI series against Australia to take place as scheduled in October. The cricket boards of Sri Lanka and New Zealand are said to have agreed to visit India later this year and sources from both the boards say that it would be a bilateral series. A Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman told the Mumbai Mirror that the itinerary for Sri Lanka’s proposed tour is a work in progress and the series is expected to have both Tests and ODIs. This would be a return series between the teams as India are touring Sri Lanka for three tests, five ODIs and a solitary T20 International between late July and early September. Though, the officials from the New Zealand Cricket board have refused to give a statement on the year-end tour, the BCCI is planning a short series with the Kiwis. The series is likely to consist of only limited overs games rather than test matches. The BCCI had hoped that even the tri-nation ‘A’ series involving in India, South Africa and Australian teams will go ahead as scheduled in July-August. However, it has come to light that the Australia ‘A’ players have boycotted the South Africa series. The series against South Africa in 2018, the schedule, as of now, remains to be four Tests, five ODIs and two T20 Internationals, unless there are any last-minute changes.