England demands decision on tour

Press, 28 September 1988, Page 35

England demands decision on tour

NZPA-AFP London England’s cricket tour of India is dying a bureaucratic death with authorities in neither country prepared to officially cancel the visit. The Board for Control of Cricket in India (8.C.C.1.) met at the week-end in Madras to give what was to have been its final decision on the tour which is apparently doomed because of the apartheid links of several England players. The board said it supported the Indian Government’s stance in not giving visas to eight of the England party,

including the captain, Graham Gooch, who had played or coached in South Africa, but did not state categorically that the tour invitation had been withdrawn. But England officials said they were still waiting for a final decision from India about the tour. The Test and County Cricket Board (T.C.C.8.) has refused to call off the visit itself. The T.C.C.B. chief executive, Alan Smith, said: “We have seen the press reports but have received no official message from India.” He added that the T.C.C.B.

had sent four separate messages to India “asking for clarification and confirmation by the end of today (Monday).” The Indian Board s vague statement said: “We hope some solution can be found by the T.C.C.B. which will conform with the spirit behind the Indian Government's decision. We look forward to positive and constructive steps by the T.C.C.8.” This is seen as an attempt by the Indian board to make England withdraw the players who are on a U.N. anti-apartheid blacklist of

sportsmen. The T.C.C.B, however, has made it clear that it will not change its 16-man squad or tolerate political interference in team selection. A new dispute could break between the two countries over compensation that the T.C.C.B. has said it will demand if the tour is called off. Smith has said the T.C.C.B. will “certainly consider” asking for compensation from India, as the English board plans to pay its squad part of the tour fee as part of an inducement to stop them going to South Africa instead.