New Delhi: South Africa's A and women team's upcoming tours to India in late August and September respectively have hit a roadblock as the BCCI is yet to get the mandatory clearance letter from the sports ministry required for visiting sides. Normally, whenever a country tours India, the BCCI intimates the sports ministry about the itinerary and gets a routine clearance which helps the visiting sides to carry out their visa processes smoothly.

The clearance letter normally comes between 30 and 45 days. While the BCCI claimed that it had made the application in March and waiting for the clearance letter, a sports ministry official said it is yet to get it. "The application for the clearance was moved to the sports ministry back in March. There has never been such a delay on their part. The A series and women's series start late August and early September," a BCCI official privy to the developments told PTI on conditions of anonymity.