India’s tour to Zimbabwe now uncertain

The Indian team’s tour to Zimbabwe next month has been rendered doubtful with the country’s cricket board saying that the limited-overs series could be postponed to next year if the ongoing issues between the BCCI and broadcaster Ten Sports are not resolved <g data-gr-id="34">anytime</g> soon. The fatigue of the Indian players, who have been playing continuous cricket over the past six to seven months, may also be another reason for the tour’s likely abandonment.

India were scheduled to play three ODIs and two T20 Internationals in Zimbabwe from July 10. On Sunday, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) stated that the board chairman and chief executive officer will look to resolve the issue during their scheduled discussions with BCCI officials on the sidelines of the ICC annual conference, starting in Barbados on Monday.

“There have been reports that an issue over Zimbabwe Cricket’s broadcasting partner is threatening the forthcoming India tour to Zimbabwe. The position is that ZC is in constant contact with both the BCCI and Ten Sports, over issues which should be resolved before the tour,” the ZC release had stated.

“If the matters take too long to resolve, ZC and the BCCI might mutually agree to push the tour to next year,” ZC chairman Wilson Manase had said. The release also said that ZC was yet to approach the local immigration authorities for the facilitation of visas because the memorandum of understanding of the tour was still being worked out between the two Boards.

The Men in Blue have already faced an <g data-gr-id="27">ignomany</g> by losing their first ever series to Bangladesh in the ongoing tour. Dhoni’s brigade has lost 2 ODI matches of a three-match series and questions are being raised over his leadership.