BCCI top brass travel to Bangladesh

Six top officials of the Indian board (BCCI), led by its president Sharad Pawar, are arriving in Chittagong on Saturday. This visit assumes significance in the face of speculation that Dav Whatmore, the outgoing coach of Bangladesh, is favoured to take over the role of India's coach.

A top Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official in Chittagong confirmed that he received a fax from the BCCI about the visit on Wednesday. "I have received a fax from the BCCI saying that their six officials are coming to Chittagong on Saturday on a day's visit," Sirajuddin Mohammed Alamgir, a member of the executive committee, said. "The fax does not mention the names of all six members, only that the team would be headed by Pawar. But I am told that BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, Vice-President Lalit Modi and former BCCI president IS Bindra are also coming, all in a private helicopter from Mumbai."

He said the BCCI officials' itinerary was not mentioned in the fax.

Whatmore, who stepped down as Bangladesh's coach last month and has drawn some criticism from the country's cricket board, has already refused an offer to take over the reins of the Pakistan team.