SYDNEY: Australia decided yesterday to go ahead with their upcoming tour of India despite security concerns following a series of deadly bomb attacks in New Delhi, drawing scathing criticism from Pakistan.
“Our advice is there are some concerns and to exercise caution, but currently they do not compromise the tour,” Cricket Australia said on its website.
Ricky Ponting’s 15-man squad is due to leave this weekend with the first of four Tests starting in Bangalore on Oct. 9. Delhi will host one Test match from Oct. 29. Confirmation of the tour follows five coordinated bomb blasts.
Cricket Australia commissioned an urgent security review following the bombings and spokesman Peter Young said it had concluded that travel to India remained appropriate.
He said tight security arrangements were already in place for the Australia A team currently in India, and they would be extended to the senior squad when they arrived.
“In consultation with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), we have upgraded security in and around the dressing rooms and they will have an escort to the ground,” he said.Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said their decision to tour India smacked of double standards.
“Pakistan is as safe a country as India and we had even promised state level security for the Australians and other teams,” Naghmi told AFP.
“The events (Australia touring India) only shows the double standards of Australian cricket.” Naghmi said the PCB hopes Australia will fulfill their commitment to tour Pakistan next year.
“Now we will see if Australia will come to Pakistan next year and what pretext they now make,” said Naghmi.
“Terrorist attacks can take place anywhere. No country is safer than the other and this point was highlighted after the unfortunate and sad incident in Delhi.
“We find it hard to comprehend that when Australian cricketers can tour a country which has had a succession of bomb attacks, what is so different about coming to Pakistan.” Over the weekend, Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said the threat level in India was different to Pakistan.
“You’ve got to understand there is a big difference between the two countries,” he said.
