Indian cricketers keen to call off Pakistan tour

The much-anticipated tour by the Indian team to Pakistan in February 2004 is in danger of being called off, after the Indian players raised concerns about security. According to a report in Mid Day, the team's concerns will be faxed later today to Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Indian cricket board.

The decision was apparently prompted by the recent assassination attempts made on Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president. On December 14, a bomb exploded under a bridge Musharraf's convoy had passed minutes before, and on December 25, two suicide car bombers rammed into his convoy, killing 14 people.

According to the report, the players had discussed the matter for two days before coming to a unanimous conclusion on the first morning of the Boxing Day Test. The move came after Musharraf's decision to shift residence for security reasons. The team felt that if the president was insecure about his safety, the cricketers could also be high-profile targets.

The decision is likely to put the cricket board on the spot, as it had pressurised the Indian government for a resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan.

This was to be India's first full tour of Pakistan since 1989-90, a series in which Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis made their debuts.

Pakistan has faced a series of cancelled tours, due to violence and a threat to life. The New Zealand team pulled out of a tour mid-way in 2002, after a car bomb exploded outside their hotel.