India to face South Africa in Ireland

India will play a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Ireland at the end of June, the Indian board has announced, despite originally planning to face Australia.

Negotiations with Cricket Australia started earlier this year and comments from the BCCI suggested the contest was well advanced. Under the conditions of an agreement signed between Zee TV and the Indian Cricket Board, India have to play 25 offshore ODIs over a five-year period.

"We were only negotiating with Cricket Australia initially for the offshore series," the BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said. "We have now decided to have the series against South Africa at the end of June in Ireland."

Shah brushed aside reports that the India-Australia series had fallen through because Cricket Australia asked for an equal share of the revenue. "We were only having talks with Cricket Australia and nothing was finalised," he said. "Now we have finalised the series against South Africa."

Earlier in the week, Cricket Australia denied there had been a slight cooling in relations between the two boards. Its spokesman, Peter Young, told the Daily Telegraph: "I don't think the way we liaise with the Indian board has changed in the time I have been here."

The Irish Cricket Union won't be too perturbed about which teams turn up. The series will provide lucrative staging rights, and Ireland may also provide warm-up opposition for the two sides in further full ODIs. The three-match series will be part of the build-up to India's three-Test and seven-ODI tour of England, which starts in July.