TNCA demands funds in advance to conduct practice match against Australia

Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has demanded advance funding from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to host Australian cricket team in Chennai next month. Australia are scheduled to arrive early for the limited-overs series against India in September and will also play a practice match ahead of the first ODI.

The Aussies are currently playing a Test series in Bangladesh and will be in the country until September 8. The team from down under will straight away fly into India soon after the conclusion of the second Test. They will be in Chennai way before the first ODI which will be played at the Chepauk on 17th September.

The top TNCA official cleared that the association has written an email to the board. “Yes, we have written an email to the BCCI to release funds early. Usually, a host association takes care of the teams for about two-three days ahead of a match. However, the Aussies will be here by September 8 as they want to prepare for the series. We are asking only for the extra days than the usual,” he told Times of India.

“We need to provide adequate security for the entire duration. They also play a practice match on September 12. Transportation for practice match and practice sessions on all days need to be arranged. It’s difficult to do it with Rs 1 lakh (funds conferred by the BCCI to the TNCA),” he added.

Pending dues from BCCI to TNCA

Since the Australian squad will stay in Chennai for more than 10 days, the TNCA is concerned about the amount of expenditure it will incur for their extended hospitality. The official of the association is wary of the difficulty they will face to host an International team for 10 days and said that the email only focuses on the explanation of their difficulty as host organisation.

He also added that, though there are pending dues from the BCCI, it did not threaten the board concerning that in the email.