Friday 4 November 2016 09:44, UK
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have asked the ECB to cover England tour expenses ahead of the five-match Test series, according to reports.
It is customary for the home board to pay for hotels and travel of the visiting team, but the BCCI has had its funds suspended by India's Supreme Court in a dispute over reforms.
According to reports in the Indian press, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke has written a letter to England team manager Phil Neal to inform him that the board will be unable to pay the visiting team's hotel and travelling costs.
Shirke's letter to the ECB released to the Indian Express reads:
"Dear Phil,
"I warmly welcome you for the upcoming cricket series. I am however at great pains to inform you that the BCCI is at present not in a position to execute the MoU [memorandum of understanding] between the Indian Cricket Board and the ECB. This is due to restrictions on execution of contracts imposed on the BCCI by a Court order.
"A Committee has been appointed that is also to oversee financial transactions of the BCCI. The BCCI has referred this issue to the Committee appointed by the Supreme Court (Lodha Committee) on 28.10.2016 itself and sought urgent permission for execution of the MoU.
"Thereafter I have also sent the Hon'ble Committee a request again today. However, the Committee while seeking further details a short while ago earlier today, has not yet granted us this permission.
"Certain courtesies such as hotel, travel and various other arrangements have been extended to you on arrival of the team in India. However, till the MoU is executed, the BCCI is not in a position to commit to paying for the same. Please make arrangements to remit such payments. The BCCI will inform you as and when further instructions are received by the BCCI from the Lodha Committee.
"I apologise on behalf of the BCCI for inconvenience that is being caused."
Sky Sports News HQ reporter Tim Abraham, who is with England in Mumbai, said: "England may well be in the position of checking out of their hotel here in Mumbai and the BCCI not settling the bill, leaving England almost doing a bit of a runner.
"They [the Indian press] are putting two and two together, saying if that's not sorted out then England will pull out of the tour and the tour will be off, that's the way it's being written.
"But England have said this morning [Friday] that's not the case, it's very much business as usual."
