England decision likely in 24 hours

Will they be back? The suspense will not last too long. England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will get back to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) soon. In fact, if one were to believe a top English Board official, in about 24 hours.

An emergency meeting of the England team management comprising players, representatives of the professional cricketers association, security experts and every concerned party, will be held some time on Sunday. If not, surely on Monday morning. “We want to hold the meeting as soon as possible,” an ECB official told DNA.

Any delay in the meeting could only be because of the timing of the team’s arrival in England. The players were not scheduled to land at the Heathrow before 7.30 pm GMT on Saturday, which is past midnight in India. “We want to call them for the meeting on Sunday itself,” the English Board official said.

The ECB has been maintaining silence over the claims of the BCCI that it has got the go-ahead from them over the tour. It has also not stated anything that is contrary to the BCCI’s assertions on the status of the two-Test series. The ECB’s silence is being deemed as approval of the Indian Board’s proposal.

When asked if that is the case, the ECB again chose to stay silent. “We have seen the comments of the BCCI. We will not say anything till our meeting is over. We will make our stand clear only after that,” Colin Gibson, communications manager of the ECB, told this paper on Saturday night.