da bwin： The ECB will monitor the security situation in India ahead of the IPLfollowing yesterday’s attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore.Centrally contracted England players are due to take part for athree-week period following the tour of West Indies
Andrew McGlashan in Trinidad04-Mar-2009
Hugh Morris: ‘Anybody is vulnerable around the world now, No one canever guarantee 100% safety anywhere in the world’ © Getty Images
The ECB will monitor the security situation in India ahead of the IPLfollowing yesterday’s attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore.Centrally contracted England players are due to take part for athree-week period following the tour of West Indies.Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, has already hadconversations with the Professional Cricketers’ Association chiefexecutive Sean Morris and said the recent events have changed thesecurity situation worldwide.”Clearly the players’ association and ourselves are looking veryclosely at the security situation around the world,” Morris said.”It’s good to see Lalit Modi saying that everything will be done tomake sure security around all the franchises will be in place but it’ssomething we will monitor.”The ECB have granted No Objection Certificates to the centrallycontracted players taking part, including Andrew Flintoff and KevinPietersen, and while stopping short of saying they could be withdrawn,Morris emphasised how important security had now become.”As far as centrally contracted players clearly we need to make surethat safety and security provisions are in place,” he said. “We’veagreed a no obligation certificate and…safety andsecurity is the No. 1 priority of our board.”Morris added that the impact of the attack on Sri Lanka’s team coach,as it approached the ground in Lahore, will be felt for a long time tocome. England’s next scheduled visit to the subcontinent is a tour ofPakistan in 2010, but that must now be in serious doubt.”Yesterday was a complete and utter tragedy,” Morris said. “It was ashocking event and I think the ramifications of it all we are going tohave to consider in the weeks and months to come. We are not due togo back for some time but we take every tour individually and willmonitor the situation as and when it arises.”England have Reg Dickason, an independent security advisor, with themon tour and he is also used by Cricket Australia, but Morris addedthat even with all possible protection no one can ever be completelysafe.”Anybody is vulnerable around the world now,” he said. “No one canever guarantee 100% safety anywhere in the world. The safety andsecurity situation of the last 24 hours is clearly a major issue andwe will be monitoring that.”Alastair Cook, the England opening batsman, said the significance ofwhat happened in Pakistan moved beyond cricket. “It’s a tragedy and it puts cricket intoperspective when you talk about drawn Tests and things like that. Itdoes hit home how quickly life can change when you are driving to aTest and stuff like that happens. Hopefully it won’t ever happenagain.”