CALCUTTA, 29 January 2004 — India’s cricket chiefs yesterday named a three-member delegation to assess the security situation in Pakistan ahead of the national team’s ice-breaking Test tour there in March.
Senior police official and security expert Yashovardhan Azad will join cricket officials Ratnakar Shetty and Amrit Mathur in the delegation due to visit Pakistan in early February, according to Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“The three will assess the security and other arrangements for not only the Indian team, but also the accompanying media and fans,” Dalmiya told reporters here.
“The itinerary for the series will be finalized only after the delegation submits its report.”
India is scheduled to play three Tests and five One-Day Internationals during the tour, their first full tour of Pakistan since 1989.
Azad, elder brother of former cricket international Kirti Azad, was given charge of the security of the Pakistani team on its last tour of India in early 1999.
Shetty is the joint secretary of the BCCI, while Mathur is its media manager and a former administrative manager of the national team.
The decision to send an advance security team follows media reports that the players, currently touring Australia, were worried about their safety during the tour.
“We get a feeling they are happy to just have the tour and send us off,” an unnamed senior player was quoted as saying recently.
“There seems to be more talk of television revenues rather than security which is disturbing. We don’t mind going at all but feel everything is being rushed.”
Dalmiya, however, stressed that the safety of the players was of prime importance. “We have to take everything into account, that is why I say there has not been a delay in finalizing the itinerary,” he said.
“The tour process takes time. We want a perfect tour without any incidents.”
It was reported in the media that the itinerary had not been finalized because of differences over playing in Karachi and Peshawar, two centers that were boycotted by South Africa last year due to security concerns. It is said that Pakistan wanted the tour to start in Karachi, but the Indians preferred Lahore.
While there was agreement in playing Test matches at these two major centers, the Indians reportedly wanted the remaining Test to be played in Faisalabad or Rawalpindi instead of the north-western city of Peshawar.
India Scrape Home by One Run in
Thriller Against Australian PM’s XI
In Canberra, Australia, India was put to the test by a selection of Australia’s mostly up-and-coming cricketers yesterday and came out on top — but only just.
In the one-day tour match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI, India reached 254 for eight off their allocated 50 overs at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. A valiant effort saw the PM’s XI fell short by a single run, on 253 for six. The XI featured mostly up and coming players from Australia’s domestic Sheffield Shield competition but was captained by newly-retired Australian Test captain Steve Waugh. It was Waugh’s last match against international opposition.
Although resting most of their top players, the Indian batting line-up was found wanting with the notable exception of Hamang Badani, who smacked 100 off 119 deliveries.
Apart from Badani, only opener Sanjay Bangar and middle order batsman Rohan Gavaskar made significant contributions with 33 and 26 respectively.
Stand-in captain Rahul Dravid also failed, making just 15 runs.
Similarly skipper Waugh failed for the makeshift Australian side, falling for just seven runs when he was caught on the boundary by Irfan Pathan off the bowling of Murali Kartik.
Despite aggressive innings by local batsman Cade Brown, who made 80 from 96 balls and Western Australian opener Marcus North with 74 off 95 deliveries, the PM’s side fell just short. India will play its next match in the triangular One-Day International series against Australia at the Western Australian Cricket Association ground in Perth this Sunday.
