Confusion over venues for warm-up match, Tests

Mumbai: Even as the England players returned home to London in four batches, uncertainty remained over the future of the two-match Test series scheduled to kick-off on December 11 at Ahmedabad.

Last week's terror attacks in Mumbai had led to the last two ODIs in the Hero Honda Cup being cancelled and had cast a huge doubt on the Test series.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who have made the right noises over the last 48 hours, have made a 'earnest request' to their Indian counterparts if the Tests have to go ahead.

According to a top BCCI official, the security assessment that the ECB keep is referring to is actually a request to move the only warm-up game on the tour (to be played at Baroda from December 5-7) to the venue of the first Test.

''They feel it could be too much of a risk travelling from one city to the other before the Test series They actually want the venue of the first Test itself too host the warm-up game as well,'' a BCCI official told cricketnirvana.com.

The official added that ECB have told them that the move to shift the warm-up game from Baroda is for ''security reasons''. 

So does this mean that the warm-up game could be held at Ahmedabad itself, days before the first Test? ''There is no assurance on their part that they are comfortable with Ahmedabad as the venue for the first Test. They have asked for a security review and say that they are looking for two safe venues. It all depends on the review they are conducting. If their review says Ahmedabad is fine, then they want the warm-up game there itself. If not then we will have to see,'' added the BCCI official.

There is an outside chance that the England team's only warm-up game could also be scrapped. The BCCI is prepared for that as well, but the official revealed that the ECB has not been given that option as yet.

''We also need to speak to our government, assess their requests. Till then we cannot assure anything. As of now the Tests are scheduled for Ahmedabad and Chennai,'' revealed the Indian board official.

But could the venues change all over again? ''We will have to wait till Monday evening before a final picture emerges,'' said the official.