Delhi will host the first of the two-match Test series from January 28-February 1. The second Test, to be played from February 4 to 8, will be played either at Chennai or Kanpur. A final decision regarding the venue of the second Test will be taken after consultations with the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Union Home Ministry.

Delhi will be hosting it's third international match within the year, having earlier hosted two games (April 11 and 14) in the Pepsi One-Day tournament.

Announcing the fixtures of the Pakistan tour after the working committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India here today, BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele informed that Calcutta will host the inagural match between Indiaand Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship to be held from February 16 to 20.

Pakistan are scheduled to arrive on January 21 and will play two three-day matches apart from the Tests and the triangular series. The first three-day match against the Board President's XI is scheduled from January 23-25. They will play an Under-25 squad from February 11-13 after the Test series ends. Venues for the two matches will be announced later.

The Government has cleared venues for the tour `in principle' but Chennai seem to hold an edge over Kanpur for hosting the second Test. However, Board joint secretary and Uttar Pradesh unit secretary Jyoti Bajpai said there would be no problem in Kanpur hosting the Test. Going by rotation, Kanpur had to get the match and he hoped there would be no hitches.

The Test series against Pakistan will be followed by a One-Day triangular tournament with Sri Lanka as the third team which will be held from March 19 to April 3.

Jamshedpur, Nagpur, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Pune and Mohaliwill be venues for the league matches -- teams will play each other twice -- and Bangalore will host the day-night final on April 3.

Lele confirmed that no match involving Pakistan would be played in Maharashtra, when asked how the BCCI had chosen Pune and Nagpur as venues for the triangular tournament.

On the Asian Test Championship, the India-Pakistan match would be followed by the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo from February 24 to 28 with Sri Lanka and Pakistan meeting in Pakistan from March 4 to 8. The final is slated to be held in Dhaka from March 12 to 16.

Lele clarified that points for this Test Championship would be worked out on a rule taking into consideration runs scored and wickets taken. The three technical committee members former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar (India), Majid Khan (Pakistan) and Asanka de Mel (Sri Lanka) will be consulted, he said.

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