It's safe to go to India: Lord Maclaurin

Could you explain some of the fears and worries that have arisen over the forthcoming tour of India?

I think it’s very understandable that the players are concerned about the safety measures. Since September 11 the world has changed. Hostilities are just one country away from India.

Earlier this week it was the first opportunity to bring together Sir Rob Young, our senior diplomat in New Delhi, and the Professional Cricketers' Association and virtually all our players to discuss the matter. We had a very good discussion with them. I think we were able, or Sir Rob was able to allay their concerns about any security problems they might have.

We have allowed the players to go away and discuss it with their families and come back by the end of the week.

This was a two-hour meeting you had with Sir Rob at a hotel close to Lord's?

Yes, it was, and the players were able to ask individual questions. It was a very good and very fruitful discussion. We are at one. There is no way that anybody from the ECB would ask our players to go anywhere the situation is really very dangerous.

The Foreign Office has given us the necessary assurance about it. We have always taken the advice of our Foreign Office and now it's up to the players to go away and understand what we were saying to them.

It was earlier Foreign Office advice, was it not, that led to concerns about the team going to India?

Yes, that's absolutely right. Yes, but that advice is being given to everybody, not just those touring India but touring around the world. That advice is out on their web site, and a for lot of our players it was the first advice that we got - that Europeans should keep a low profile going to India because that was on the web site.

Things have moved on since then. Tim Lamb and I have been to Kuala Lumpur. We've had the opportunity to talk to the president of the Indian board and the secretary. We've been talking to Foreign Office; we've had Sir Rob over.

So that information on the web site is not applicable to a high profile English cricket side going into India.

What happened at Kuala Lumpur last week?

We had the ICC meeting and met Mr Dalmiya and we just talked about things in general to him, his views about the tour, security and the things most people talk about.

Were you pleased with his response?

Yes, very good. He wants the tour to go ahead; we want the tour to go ahead and the safety of our players is paramount.

What are the economic implications of cancelling the tour?

We have an agreement with our colleagues on the ICC and we have a 10-year Test match programme to play both home and away, and we want to fulfill that commitment. There are obviously economic costs if we don't go. There are economic costs for the Indian board; they've sold the television rights and there are all sorts of ramifications.

But that's not of paramount importance. The importance is that since September 11 the world has changed. You cannot put on any news programme without seeing what's going on. Quite rightly, the players and their families are nervous about that.

We've had the best possible advice from Sir Rob, that as far as he is concerned, as far as you can say this, that it's safe to go to India. With all the necessary security, which I have no doubt the Indian government would put in place, we should go.

What about economic penalties if you cancel?

There are no economic penalties at all. That was discussed at the ICC and there are no economic penalties. That still has to be agreed and might be done some time next year.

Some individual England players had also expressed their reservations about travelling to India. What about them?

Those players had not had the opportunity to discuss with people at the very highest level what the situation is like right now. They have now had that opportunity.

Do you have any views about next year's Indian tour of England? Could that be affected by the final decision of the ECB?

I wouldn't have thought so, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I sincerely hope we have the boys going to India. I am sure we will be going to India and I'm sure the Indian side will be here next year.