Aussies jittery about safety on West Indies tour

The Aussies are worried about the worsening crime situation in Guyana.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has written the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) seeking "urgent advice" on what contingency plans are in place to amend the schedule for their tour of the West Indies in April and May.

In a letter faxed to the WICB on January 13, ACB international cricket manager Richard Watson said his board was seeking the WICB's guidance on the "reported deterioration in the security situation in and around Georgetown, which is of high concern to the ACB".

The Australians' worry was revealed at the Guyana Cricket Board's annual general meeting Sunday by president Chetram Singh, a WICB director.

Singh said he received a copy of the ACB's letter from the WICB and had passed it on to Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj.

Guyana is scheduled to stage the first of the four Tests April 10-14 and a three-day President's XI match April 5-7.

Watson indicated in the letter that the travel advisory status issued by the Australian government's Department of Foreign Affairs "warns Australians of the high risk to their personal safety and security when visiting Guyana, and Georgetown in particular".

Watson said he had written the Australian High Commissioner on the matter and continued to monitor the situation through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.