Australia wait on security report for India tour

Cricket Australia (CA) has said the decision to tour India, first for the Champions League and the following four-Test series, would be taken based on the advice of its security experts after a series of bomb attacks in Bangalore and Ahmedabad caused some concern in Australia. Bangalore, incidentally, is the venue for the first Test starting October 9.

"We only go where security advice tells us is safe," Peter Young, Cricket Australia's general manager of public affairs, told the Australian. "The same question was asked about the London bombings during the 2005 Ashes tour and when we did not go to Pakistan in March.

"As far as London was concerned, we kept the team out of there until security advice was emphatic that it was safe. We go through the same process every tour. It's as simple as that."

The Champions League, between September 29 and October 8 in New Delhi, Mohali and Jaipur, features Victoria and Western Australia. Victoria, however, will be based in Jaipur, where a series of blasts during the Indian Premier League raised fears of a pullout by a couple of Australians with the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Greg Shipperd, Victoria's coach, didn't expect any change in venue as the facilities at the cricket academy, run by Greg Chappell, would be helpful in his team's preparation.

"I don't think the fact that that happened there (Jaipur) will lead us down another path," Shipperd said yesterday. "It's not something that I've discussed with Cricket Victoria or our team at this stage. Obviously if there was an escalation we'd change our view but at this stage we intend to compete in the tournament."

Tom Moody, Western Australia's coach, too agreed with Shipperd. "We'll follow similar guidelines to Cricket Australia," Moody said. "Pakistan has a longer history of incidents than most other places."

Representatives from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association, possibly a security consultant too, are due to leave for India on August 10 for an inspection.

CA have had to make tough decisions this year about sending its team to the subcontinent. The Pakistan tour earlier this year was postponed in the wake of a series of bomb blasts in the country and an unstable political climate. The board is also yet to take a decision on sending a team for the Champions Trophy in September, also in Pakistan, after some of its leading players expressed reservations on touring.