ICC denies its role in Asia Cup schedule

Karachi, July 1 (UNI) Denying its role in drawing the itinerary for the Asia Cup, the ICC today put the blame on the ACC for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's outburst over the tight schedule of the tournament.

An ICC spokesman said the governing body has no say in preparing the itinerary for the Asia Cup.

''This has been drawn up by the Asian cricket Council (ACC) in partnership with the teams taking part in it,'' he said.

He said the ICC's role was to administer the arrangements rather than draw up the schedule and the ICC Future Tours Programme is a series of bilateral arrangements between its member boards.

''All the FTP - agreed to by all those ICC Members that are a part of it - does is to insist that a team plays all the others in a minimum of two Tests and three ODIs both at home and away over a six-year period. Any other matches above that minimum are down to each Board to arrange,'' he stated.

He further informed that the ICC keeps a close watch on the number of matches being played over a period of 12 months but it is on the respective national boards that whether they wish to stick to that number or not.

''However, each Board determines whether it wishes to adhere to that mark or arrange extra matches,'' he added.

Earlier, Dhoni had come out in open to cricticise the Asia Cup schedule where India had to play three matches in just four days.

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