By IANS,
London/Melbourne: England, Australia and South African cricket boards have washed their hands of the safety of players in India, warning them to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at their own risk.
According to Daily Telegraph the report, commissioned by the players’ unions in England, Australia and South Africa and written by the England team’s security adviser Reg Dickason, will state the players’ safety cannot be guaranteed and threats issued by al-Qaeda sources last week were credible.
The Australian, South African and English player associations share the security report, which they commissioned independently because the IPL refused to deal with the associations.
Federation of International Cricketers (FICA), the international players’ union, expects a mass pull-out of players from the tournament this week unless security concerns are addressed or the IPL is moved out of India.
The report will be passed on to the IPL’s international players, who will then make the decision to travel to India on an individual basis.
The IPL begins in Mumbai March 12. Most of the eight franchises begin training as early as next week.
Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said he had received the report from Dickason but would not disclose its contents until he had advised the players.
“We haven’t spoken to the players at this stage,” Marsh was quoted as saying in The Australian.
“We have just received the report and we are working through it,” he said.
“We need to go through the process of talking to our executive and our players before we are in a position to make public comment,” Marsh added.
England’s Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood, who plays for Delhi Daredevils, said he is yet to make a decision on IPL participation.
“I am aware of the reported security risks and am in constant communication with Delhi Daredevils,” Collingwood said.
“I will make a decision once I have had a chance to review all the available information and talk to the relevant people.”