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| October 30, 2001 | Tuesday | Shaba'an 12, 1422 |
India may boycott 2002 England tour
KOLKATA, Oct 29: The Indian cricket board said Monday it might boycott their return trip to England next year if Nasser Hussain’s team opted out of their tour of India starting next month.
Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), warned that India “may reconsider its June visit to England” and urged his English counterparts to make a final decision on the tour once and for all.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have stressed that the tour will go ahead after earlier concerns over security in the region.
Five players from England’s 16-strong squad, however, have been granted more time to decide whether they should travel while a sixth, Mark Butcher, has suggested he could change his mind.
The ECB has said it will replace any player opting not to tour while stressing they will not be punished for deciding to stay at home.
Dalmiya added to reporters on Monday: “The tour is on. England gave the signal to us today. We want them to let us know the final squad by Nov 5. We cannot wait indefinitely.
“There must be a full stop to questions about whether the tour is on or not.”
Doubts about the tour surfaced after the attacks on New York and Washington and the ensuing US-led assault on Afghanistan.
Dalmiya said English worries were sending wrong signals to other countries scheduled to tour India in the future.
“I have told the England cricket board’s think-tank that these continued expressions of concern about security is in no way helping matters. It is sending wrong signals to other countries,” he said.
Dalmiya said he would meet with senior officials from the British High Commission and the ECB Thursday to further discuss security issues.
England, due to leave for India on Nov 14, are scheduled to play three Tests at Mohali, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. They will then return home for Christmas before coming back to India mid-January for a series of five One-day Internationals.—Reuters/AFP
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