So, Jagmohan Dalmiya gets his way again. As surprises go, this one was about as revelatory as the Queen's speech. Dalmiya got his way because he nearly always gets his way, and for all their bluster, there was never much chance of the ECB standing firm against him. Having said that, the ECB didn't really have much option. Had they not agreed to an additional one-dayer in India next month, it was clear that India's four-Test series in England next summer would have been seriously jeopardised. With Surrey having already sold close to £1m worth of tickets for the last match at The Oval, it was a risk they could not take. Money talks, especially in a sport as relatively poor as cricket.

What is odd is that the ECB decided to posture with Dalmiya at all, as there was only ever going to be one winner. And besides, England need as much one-day cricket as they can get, a point recognised by Duncan Fletcher and David Graveney last summer when they announced the five-match series in Zimbabwe. An extra one-dayer will be forgotten almost as soon as the players have taken off their pyjamas. Last time England went to India they played six one-dayers, and even Graeme Hick (who made a century) and Paul Jarvis (who took three wickets) have probably forgotten the events of the last match in Gwalior.

The thoughts of the players - pawns for the likes of Dalmiya - have never mattered much in these discussions, and if the ECB really felt so strongly about the issue, they would not be backing down. Dalmiya said the ECB recognised that playing an extra match would "help strengthen cricketing relations between the two countries", which is a risible euphemism. What happened was that Dalmiya threatened to take his ball home, and as a result he got what he wanted.

But don't bank on this being the end of the matter. Since being elected BCCI president in September Dalmiya has upset many apple carts, and there are almost certainly more to come. There is England's tour of India in 2005-06, on which Dalmiya wants a minimum of four Tests - three is ICC's optimum number for the Test Championship - as well as India's forthcoming tour of England.

The ECB insists it has a written agreement that India will play four Tests and a triangular tournament next summer - but it is apparently signed by Jaywant Lele, the former secretary of the BCCI, not Dalmiya. The ECB would be foolish to think the issue is settled - a verbal agreement with this man is about as reliable as a promise from a second-hand car salesman.

Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com

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