The Indian and Pakistani Boards, apparently, tried hard to advance the dates of the Sahara Cup or put it back by a couple of weeks. But nothing has happened on this front though it should have been easier to change dates of an event involving just two countries rather than expect changes in the dates of the Commonwealth Games.

In the event, the BCCI, which is yet to announce teams for either event, is caught in a bind. There is pressure on them from the International Management Group, the promoters of the Sahara Cup, with whom the Board has a five-year contract, to send the `best team', including Mohammed Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar.On the other hand, the Indian Olympic Association is not going to be pleased if the BCCI announces a `second string' for the Commonwealth Games. The Sports Ministry which has to clear the teams is also learnt to have said they would like the BCCI to announce its best team for the Commonwealth Games.

Meanwhile, the Sahara Cup organisers announced last night the dates for the five match one-day series. The matches will be played on September 12, 13, 16, 19 and 20. September 21 has been kept as a reserve day.

Pakistan won the inaugural Sahara Cup 3-2 while India got back last year with a 4-1 margin, thanks to a superlative all-round performance by Saurav Ganguly.

The sponsors have also devised a points system to decide the best player of the tournament. One point would be given for scoring 15 to 24 runs and then more points in a slab system thereafter. There will be points for catches, wickets, effecting run-outs. The wicketkeeper will get two points for a stumping and there will be bonus points for adouble century, hat-trick or a world record.

There will be five prizes for individual performances. The player bagging the first prize will receive Rs five lakhs with Rs 1.5 lakh for the second, Rs one lakh for the third, Rs 50,000 for the fourth and Rs 25,000 for the fifth.

Last year, the top three prizes were bagged by the Indians-- Saurav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja. Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq and Ijaz Ahmed received the fourth and fifth prizes respectively.

CANADA TO HOST ICC TROPHY: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has awarded Canada the 2001 ICC Trophy, the qualifying tournament for the 2003 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

The ICC Trophy will decide the three qualifiers for the first cricket World Cup of the next millennium who will join the nine full members of ICC in the premier event to be hosted for the first time in Africa.

Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur was the venue for the previous ICC Cup from where Bangladesh, Kenya and Scotland qualified for the1999 World Cup in England.