Australia's cricketers receive death threats

Australia's cricketers have received death threats via e-mail during their Ashes tour this summer. There has been a significant police presence throughout the series and, at The Oval, security guards have remained on the pitch until the batsmen arrive at the crease.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said today that officers arrested a 32-year-old man on Friday in Stoke-on-Trent, "in connection with an allegation of making threats to kill."

"It appears the Australian cricket team was the target," the spokesman said

Police released the man on bail and ordered him to return to a local police station on October 27. The man wasn't charged with any offence and the police didn't give details of the threats, but said officers from the Computer Crime Unit were leading the investigation.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said the threats were sent to a generic e-mail address. "Obviously it's highly concerning and Cricket Australia acted immediately," the source said. "There is a set procedure for dealing with these matters and that's currently being dealt with by relevant authorities. Given it is now a police matter, it is inappropriate to comment further."