Security fears for Sri Lankan tour played down

Captain Peter Short has some advice for the West Indies cricketers and administrators.

The former president of the West Indies Cricket Board of Control (WICBC) has asked the team to forget about matters off the field and focus on the game on their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka.

In all cases like this the players' safety is paramount, and this must be made absolutely clear, Short said, when asked for his views on the situation regarding the visit to Sri Lanka.

It is incumbent on the president to get the best and most reliable information with regard to security. This is vitally important.

So I would say that as long as Rev. Wes Hall [president of the West Indies Cricket Board] has had assurances of the best efforts to provide safety for the team, the tour should go on.

Last week Sri Lanka Board officials stated security will be adequately provided for the team.

The long-standing sports administrator knows the scenario well.

Five years ago, as president of the WICBC, Short faced the dilemma whether or not the West Indies should travel to Sri Lanka when the 1996 World Cup was hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

According to Short, after consultation with the British High Commission and the Australian High Commission, the decision then was not to go to the island nation as the West Indies joined Australia in forfeiting their matches.

Back then the difficulty surrounded the Tamil rebels who had just bombed a financial building, killing over 80 people and injuring many.

The situation is slightly different this time, even though the country is gripped by election fever. The Tamils are still around but Short believes the team could still proceed, once the advice from Sri Lanka is reliable.

He, however, cited other major concerns in international cricket which needed to be addressed urgently.

He touched on the possibility of introducing neutral venues to deal with the problems faced by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with teams being reluctant to visit Asia.

World cricket's at a standstill, Short said.

This is a new phenomenon and I think the ICC, like all other organisations, has to put its house in order quickly.