By IANS,
New Delhi/London : England’s tour of India hinges on the clearance of its security experts even though the Indian cricket board Monday decided to shift the Ahmedabad Test to Mohali.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already shifted the Mumbai Test to Chennai after terror attacks in the western metropolis last week. Chennai will now host the first Test starting Dec 11 and Mohali the second from Dec 19.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) requested us to shift the Ahmedabad Test as they felt it was a sensitive area and the players would not have felt secured. So we have decided to change the venue to Mohali and it will be the second Test starting Dec 19,” BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla told IANS Monday.
The three-day tour match which was scheduled in Baroda from Friday has been cancelled
England were reluctant to play in Ahmedabad and Guwahati, which was supposed to host the sixth ODI, before the start of the series. Both the cities witnessed bomb blasts this year. The attacks in Mumbai led ECB to ask to shift the Ahmedabad Test at a safer venue.
“ECB has informed BCCI that England are ready to tour India and play two Tests, the first at Chennai and the second at Mohali,” said BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan.
“ECB will be sending their security consultant for discussions with the authorities in India before final clearance is given for the tour,” he added.
The England team cut short its trip midway through the one-day series and flew back home Saturday after terrorists attacks in Mumbai.
The ECB is in touch with the Indian and British governments, consulates in Indian cities, security advisers and other risk assessment experts in order to give the cricketers a thorough dossier on safety issues.
If the security reports suggest it is safe to return to India, an ECB spokesman confirmed the England team could be on a flight as early as Thursday, although the board will not want to be seen to rush into such a decision.
The ECB will present the players with a safety report and the resumption of the tour is likely to be officially confirmed Tuesday.