To tour India or not

Shyam Bhatia

As the war in Afghanistan intensifies, England's concerned cricketers will give their final decision this weekend about the forthcoming tour of India.

They have received every possible reassurance about their safety, starting with the British High Commissioner in New Delhi, Sir Rob Young, who said it is safe to leave on November 13. His views have been echoed by England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Lord MacLaurin, and chief executive Tim Lamb, who jointly stressed at a press briefing last week, "We will not be forcing anyone to get on the plane."

Nor will it be held against any player who may decide not to travel in the present world climate with military action going on in nearby Afghanistan.

Nasser Hussain himself has said he is committed to tour the land of his forefathers. The rest of the team have until this weekend to state whether they will be participating in the six-week, three-Test tour, plus those selected for the Indian leg of the one-day programme in the New Year.

Earlier this week, after a meeting at a hotel within a stone's throw of Lord's, nobody could judge how many players would pull out.

The ECB hopes it will be none, but chairman of selectors David Graveney and his panel have made contingency plans. They have stressed that player safety is their priority. But while England will not be penalised by any International Cricket Council fine, the selectors have, nevertheless, pointed out that cancellation will have financial and commercial complications.

Hussain, fast bowler Andy Caddick and all-rounder Craig White had earlier expressed worries about touring India. Since the all-important hotel meeting, which was addressed by British High Commissioner Sir Rob Young, Hussain has swung in favour of going, White has said he is partly reassured and Caddick continues to play his cards close to his chest.

Alec Stewart, for his own reasons, opted out earlier this summer. As for Darren Gough, he's been told he will not be included in the following Test series in New Zealand no matter how well he performs in the limited-overs tournament, which precedes it because he agreed to a one-day contract only.

What happens if a player drops out of the India leg and is included in the New Zealand Test section?

Lamb told rediff.com that it is something the ECB will have to consider, but their hope is for all 16 squad members to vote 'yes'.

Meanwhile, the real hero of the tour, even before it gets underway, turns out to be High Commissioner Sir Rob Young, who addressed the players for 20 minutes before answering their individual questions.

The importance of Sir Rob's intervention was underlined by an earlier British Foreign Office warning, which had stated that British nationals should keep a low profile while visiting India. Lamb told cricket journalists in London how that statement had caused some consternation, "not to say confusion in a number of quarters."

Lamb added, "That is bearing in mind that an England cricket team travelling to India is definitely high profile as a result of the phenomenal amount of interest in cricket in that country.

"However, as was clear from the document issued to the ECB by the Foreign Office, the advice about keeping a low profile is generic advice and applies throughout the world following the events of September 11.

"Sir Rob and the ECB point out that the England cricket team touring India can expect to have a much higher level of security surrounding them, courtesy of the Indian government, who will be responsible for providing that security and bearing the cost of it.

"It was our hope that Sir Rob would be able to allay any anxieties that the players and management might have."

The spotlight is now on Professional Cricketers Association Managing Director Richard Bevan, who will be told by each individual player whether they will be available for the trip, which climaxes with the three Tests back-to-back between December 3-23.

"It's the first time the guys have been together to discuss issues and there was only one real issue on the table and that was safety," Bevan said earlier this week.. "They had serious considerations on the safety issue a number of them were allayed by the High Commissioner.

"They'll go back home, they will have a safety discussion with their families and come back and say 'yes we are happy to tour' or 'no we are not'."