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| October 31, 2001 | Wednesday | Shaba’an 13, 1422 |
Caddick, Croft opt out of Indian tour
LONDON, Oct 30: Pace bowler Andrew Caddick and spinner Robert Croft have opted out of England’s tour of India, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Tuesday.
But batsman Marcus Trescothick, all-rounder Craig White and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles have decided to take part.
The five players were granted more time to decide after being named in a 16-man squad last week for the Test and one-day series due to begin on Nov 14.
The tour was thrown into doubt following the Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington and the subsequent US-led raids on Afghanistan.
Chairman of selectors David Graveney reiterated, however, that the decisions made by Caddick and off-spinner Croft would not be held against them in the future.
“I realise that it has been a very difficult decision for all concerned,” he said.
Captain Nasser Hussain added: “I fully respect and appreciate both Andrew and Robert’s decisions.”
Replacements for Croft and Caddick will be named later this week. Caddick’s absence will mean England will be robbed of their first-choice pace attack after Darren Gough earlier made himself unavailable for the tour.
Caddick said: “My choice does not reflect any lack of commitment to English cricket...had circumstances been different, I would love to have toured India.
“Turning down the opportunity to represent my country is something I would never have believed possible.”
But he said he was not “100 percent confident” that his young family were happy for him to tour.
Several players, including Hussain, had expressed concerns about their safety.
Croft added: “I could not guarantee full commitment to the England team, knowing that my family would worry about my safety.”—Reuters
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