England's on-off tour of India appeared to become a little more likely today following a meeting between the bosses of both boards in Kuala Lumpur, ahead of the ICC meeting there. It was agreed that "there was no reason at the present time why the England tour to India next month should not go ahead as planned," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement. The meeting was attended by the ECB's chairman and chief executive, Lord MacLaurin and Tim Lamb, and their opposite numbers from India -- Jaywant Lele, and, more to the point, the highly controversial new and former president, Jagmohan Dalmiya. Curiously, the statement made no mention of gritted teeth.

Only two days ago, MacLaurin said that if things didn't improve in two weeks, the tour would be called off. But today he seems to have accepted the soothing noises made by Dalmiya.

According to the statement, Dalmiya had this to say: "There are no visible signs of trouble in India connected with the current military action being taken by the USA and its allies. However, in view of the recent concerns expressed over the safety of the England players, I have confirmed to Lord MacLaurin and Tim Lamb that I have been in discussion with the Indian Government regarding the provision of appropriate security measures for the England team while they are in our country. You can be sure that the Government would not allow the tour to take place if they felt that the physical safety of members of the team was under threat."

The ECB said it would remain "in regular communication" with the Foreign Office and with the British High Commission in Delhi regarding the security situation in India.

MacLaurin added: "The ECB and the BCCI will continue to closely monitor events in the coming days and weeks, and we have agreed on the importance of maintaining a constant dialogue. Naturally both boards are very keen for the tour to proceed."

There was no mention of any change to the venues for England's three Tests.

Whether the players share this keenness, remains to be seen.

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