KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Cricket boss Justin Vaughan was almost dizzy with relief after signing off today on an extended schedule for India's late summer tour.
An extra test has been slotted in at Napier in late March, extending the series to three, while a second Twenty20 match will kick-start the six-week tour in Christchurch on February 25.
It is the outcome of two weeks of intense negotiation at multiple levels of the game, leaving Vaughan mentally drained but satisfied it serves the cricket public best.
"It was a huge logistical job to be able to create this schedule but we're really excited about it, very confident that it will make for a tremendous tour," Vaughan said.
"There were a lot of conference calls, a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of ideas.
"You're trying to do that not just for one game but for a series of games while making sure there is a good flow and good spread of games around the country."
Just two of the five scheduled one-day matches - in Hamilton (March 11) and Auckland (March 14) - have kept their original dates, although they are now the fourth and fifth games, rather than the second and third games as originally planned.
The tour-ending third test in Wellington starting on April 3 also remains the same.
The first three one-day matches in Napier (March 3), Wellington (March 6) and Christchurch (March 8) are all earlier than scheduled, along with the Twenty20 match at Wellington (February 27) and first test in Hamilton (starting March 18).
The Napier test will be the second of the series starting on March 26 while the three-day game against a New Zealand 11 scheduled for Lincoln on March 22-24 has been cancelled.
Vaughan said his organisation jumped through hoops to agree to the request for an extra test following the cancellation of India's scheduled tour of Pakistan
He then took the chance to lobby for a second lucrative Twenty20 match, something the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was happy to accept.
When negotiations began at the start of this month, NZC's first alternative was to simply add the additional test to the front of the original schedule.
However, this was unacceptable to the Indians, mainly because they have markedly different players in their test and limited overs teams.
A gigantic puzzle then had to be pieced together, with the six main players - NZC, BCCI, New Zealand Players Association, local associations, venue managers and broadcasters - all needing to sing from the same song sheet.
Super 14 rugby fixtures created additional problems.
"Lots and lots of different permutations were explored," Vaughan said.
"We have worked hard to keep as much of the schedule as possible intact. The result is a tour where more fans will be able to see more games in more places."
Vaughan said there were only two contenders to host the additional test, with Napier's McLean Park pipping University Oval in Dunedin.
Vaughan anticipated increased interest in the tour by world class Indians, who will arrive eight days earlier than scheduled on February 20.
"They're the form team. South Africa have done well in Australia lately but their one-day form is yet to be proven," he said.
"India are just all round strong and I'm sure they're coming here with a lot of confidence.
"It's a great yardstick for our Black Caps to really come up and hopefully topple them."
Meanwhile, Vaughan said tickets already purchased for rescheduled games will remain valid on the new dates.
Purchasers could also apply for a refund while those who had made travel bookings with Air New Zealand to watch rescheduled matches may be eligible for a "special arrangement".
- NZPA
