After having hinted at the possibility last week, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Sunday sent an official invite to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fill in for their Sri Lankan visitors, who chose to return home because of the tsunami that hit their little island nation. As things stand at the moment though, it appears quite unlikely that the BCCI will say yes to the tour.NZC CEO Martin Snedden sent an e-mail on Sunday to BCCI secretary SK Nair ‘‘inviting India to fill in’’ for Sri Lanka. Speaking to The Indian Express from Christchurch today, Snedden confirmed the ‘‘dispatch of the invite’’ and said he was now waiting for a reply.‘‘I sent them (BCCI) a request on Sunday. I have not specified the format of the tour, whether it is Tests or one-dayers. What I have done is requested them to consider the proposal and then we can take things forward,’’ Snedden said.Adding that he had ‘‘spoken to the ICC’’ on the matter as well, Snedden informed that ‘‘even they (ICC) have no problem with this idea’’. ‘‘It is up to the BCCI now,’’ Snedden said, acknowledging that India was ‘‘being given very little time to react’’.Meanwhile, the BCCI hasn’t been terribly optimistic about the idea so far. When contacted, BCCI president-elect Ranbir Singh Mahendra said, ‘‘They (NZC) also have an alternative in their mind, but they just wanted to check with us before exploring that. Though we have not decided on anything formally, as of now it looks unlikely since we have very little time.’’Nair added that they had been given just two days’ time to send a reply to the NZC, and ‘‘the senior members of the BCCI will discuss the proposal and decide on the matter as soon as possible.’’
