The England team is "still waiting" for the Board of Control for Cricket in India to cover the expenses of its seven-week tour, even though the same allowances "have been handed over to home players and umpires." Five days before the Test series began, officials from the BCCI contacted their counterparts at the England & Wales Cricket Board to explain that its bank accounts had been frozen by the Supreme Court pending the BCCI "carrying out reforms after a corruption and spot-fixing scandal" in '13. As a result "it could not meet the costs of the tour, which are the responsibility of the host nation." ECB CEO Tom Harrison said that the ECB had "complete faith" in the BCCI honoring its commitments and would pay its own costs and await "future reimbursement" (LONDON TIMES, 11/20).
Cricket Australia's "hopes of luring Ricky Ponting into either a coaching or selection role appear to have increased" after the former Australian captain relinquished his role in the Indian Premier League. After two seasons coaching the Mumbai Indians, "Ponting has opted to step down from the position." As Australian cricket "undergoes major change after this year's poor performances," Ponting has emerged as a candidate to coach the Australian Twenty20 side in February for a week when coach Darren Lehmann and the Test squad are in India preparing for a four-Test series (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 11/19).
