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India give indications of touring

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Opening post

http://www.theindependent.co.zw/2013/06 ... r-of-hope/


International cricket giants India have offered the best sign yet they are committed to fulfilling their obligation to tour Zimbabwe for a five-match One-Day International series next month.

Staff Writer

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the troubled series, Zimbabwe has been going about its preparations with intensity, but the lack of certainty is beginning to bother the home camp as they need to play competitively before they engage Pakistan for a tour that comprises all three formats starting in August.

India, who have been communicating with their Zimbabwean counterparts assuring them the tour would go ahead without making written commitment, last week wrote to Zimbabwe Cricket proposing a slight shift in dates.

Zimbabwe had proposed dates around the 10th of next month but India want to arrive in the country on July 20 and get straight into serious business.

Pakistan have confirmed they will arrive on August 19.

Despite that communication, a dark cloud still hovers over the tour until a Memorandum of Understanding is signed.

Zimbabwe is hoping that the tour proceeds for obvious financial reasons but on the playing side it is important for new coach Andy Waller who wants to test his methods against the giants before Pakistan.

Captain Brendan Taylor this week told IndependentSport they were practicing as if everything was on course and the uncertainty had not hampered the mood in the camp much.

“We have been working hard in the last two weeks on fitness and conditioning; we are just going about our business with the mindset that we will play India,” said Taylor.

A squad of 27 players was called into camp and only Chamu Chibhabha and Tino Mawoyo are missing.

Mawoyo recently underwent an operation on a troublesome groin. Taylor said the players were excited working under the new coach who is demanding a lot from his charges.

“Bundu (Waller) is a hard man, he demands a lot from the players, he sets high standards for everyone and we are all working hard. It has been hard so far the fitness programme has been quite a rigorous one, but we know that if we are to play and beat the big sides we have to put in a lot of extra work and effort,” he said.
And this today from the Banglalore Mirror:


India’s cricketing summer has just got longer. The much-talked about Zimbabwe tour is back on track and MS Dhoni & Co, who were supposed to have been given reprieve from playing the series, will have to go on the African safari for a brief period in July-August. The team will play a one-day series.

According to reliable sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the details of the tour have been finalised and Jagmohan Dalmiya, the interim BCCI president, has given his go-ahead. The decision was taken in Kolkata a couple of days back when Dalmiya called for an informal meeting with some board officials.

“The tour is on and we’ve finalised the modalities. The tour immediately follows the one-day tri-series in the West Indies,” said a BCCI official.

Originally, India were to play only three one-dayers in Zimbabwe but as per the latest information, the tour has been swelled to five games. Most of the Indian players are likely to take part in the matches.

“There is no such plan to send a second string team. We’ll see who all will be available but the team sure will consist mostly of regular players,” said the official, who was involved in the finalisation of the tour.

Recently, there were reports that the BCCI cancelled the tour citing fatigue factor to the players. The decision had led to some sort of disappointment in Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) which was banking on the cash flow from the series.

The ZCU recently hosted Bangladesh and is also scheduled to hold matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka but none of the series is financially viable for the Zimbabwe board. In contrast, an India tour is lucrative because of the large television audience back home.

“If the tour is indeed on, it is a very good property for our channel, particularly as Zimbabwe is an important market for us,” said a spokesman for SuperSport, the South Africa based television company which holds the rights of the Zimbabwe cricket. “An India series is good for us and it is welcome decision,” said an official of Ten Sports, which will beam the series in India.

The Indian team, currently playing in the Champions Trophy in England, will proceed to the West Indies for the tri-series involving Sri Lanka and the home team in July. A week later, the Men in Blue will travel to Zimbabwe.
ZCF OriginalZCF Hall of Famer
Good news for ZIM. Also good to see India learned their lessons after getting their veritable A team thrashed in 2010.

But I'll wait till confirmed on cricinfo to really believe it. Hope ZIM wins a few matches.
Bangladesh cricket fanatic, observer of all others.
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