England V India Test Series To Go Ahead
Despite the tragic impact of this week’s terrorist attacks in the country, England’s Test series against India is scheduled to go ahead even though the team have flown home after the cancellation of the remainder of the one-day series.
The first Test is due to start on 11th December in Ahmedabad and the second, initially scheduled for Mumbai – the location of the terrorist attacks – will now take place in Chennai beginning 19th December.
The England squad are currently in Bhubaneswar, which is 850 miles from Mumbai, but they stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai a fortnight ago and were due to return there on 16th December.
However, while vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India Lalit Modi insisted that the safety of the players was not an issue, there is known to be unrest amongst the England camp about returning to the country so soon after the conflict.
England captain Kevin Pietersen insisted none of his players will be forced to return to India for the two-Test series after the terror attacks in Mumbai.
Stated Pietersen: ‘We will make every effort to return for the Tests, but at the end of the day if it’s not safe we won’t be coming back. I’ll never force anybody. A man is a man and he can make his own decisions.’
The terrorist attacks that unfolded in Mumbai not only caused the remaining two one-day internationals to be cancelled but also brought about the postponement of the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League also due to be staged in the city.
Cricket on the Indian sub-continent has been blighted by security scares for the past 20 years.
New Zealand have abandoned two tours of Sri Lanka and one of Pakistan after bomb blasts. Australia and West Indies refused to play their Sri Lanka group matches at the 1996 World Cup following an explosion in Colombo.
This year the International Cricket Council postponed the Champions League one-day tournament scheduled in Pakistan for the first time after five countries, including England, said they would not take part because of security fears.
