The Board of Control for Cricket in India has agreed on the proposal of Sri Lankan Cricket Board to play Independence Cup in the year 2018, confirmed the Sri Lankan cricket Board President Thilanga Sumathipala. The tour has been organised as a part of their 70th Independence day celebration. The tournament will also involve South Africa and Pakistan as the two other teams.
The itinerary for the tour will, however, be announced later,
“We are very very keen to play our Independence cup in Sri Lanka next year which India has agreed to be part of it. There is a South Africa-India tour coming up and it might clash with the India-Pakistan tour.
“The Indians are willing to go to South Africa in the period where we are scheduled to tour, so we will discuss with India and South Africa during the next month’s ICC meeting in Dubai regarding our return tour, Independence Cup and then we all (Sri Lanka, India, South Africa and Pakistan) will accommodate each other,” Sri Lankan Board President said.
He also added that the tour has been announced after the discussion between the Prime Ministers of the two countries Narendra Modi and Ranil Wickramasinghe,
“India has already given their willingness to play the Independence Cup in 2018 in Sri Lanka after Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe discussed this with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently,”
he said.
It is to be also noted that BCCI, who has already stood against playing any series against Pakistan, floated the idea of playing a triangular or a quadrangular series involving Pakistan. Hence, it can be said that the tour has been announced only after consulting and agreeing to the conditions set by BCCI.
Apart from this tour, India is already set to tour Sri Lanka next year to play Three Tests, five ODIs and a T20I. The itinerary of that is also yet to be announced.