August 17, 2006	Thursday	Rajab 21, 1427

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COLOMBO, Aug 16: South Africa have pulled out of the limited-overs tri-series against India and hosts Sri Lanka due to security concerns after a deadly bombing, a Sri Lankan cricket official said on Wednesday.

“South Africa have told us they want to pull out. It is unfortunate but true,” Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) media manager Samantha Algama said.

A statement from Cricket South Africa quoted its chief executive Gerald Majola as saying in Johannesburg that “the current risk to the team is at an unacceptable level.”

Majola said that a threat from a group calling itself the Tamil Tiger Youth was the clinching factor in the decision to withdraw the South African cricket team from Sri Lanka.

He said the team had received a direct threat early on Wednesday.

“The Tamil Tiger Youth sent an e-mail to the (South African) High Commission this morning saying that the team must come home. I've seen the e-mail.”

“In the light of the independent report at the behest of the International Cricket Council, we have no alternative but to bring the team home as soon as possible,” Majola said in the statement.

“The independent report comes to the same conclusion as that of our own security consultant's report.

“The ICC report says, inter alia, that the current risk to the team is at an unacceptable level and the Sri Lankan Government is unable to guarantee the physical security of the team, given the current security situation in Colombo.

“The safety of our team is paramount and we have no option but to withdraw the team from the tournament,” Majola added.

A senior SLC official said he was surprised and disappointed by the decision to pull out.

“South Africa are pulling out of the tournament on the basis of a security company based in Dubai,” SLC chief executive Duleep Mendis said.

“How can a Dubai-based company assess the situation in Colombo when they had not sent anyone to the island to get first-hand information on the current situation?”

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have asked India to play a bilateral one-day series following South Africa's withdrawal, Algama said.

“We have asked India to play five one-dayers in lieu of the tri-series and they have promised to get back to us on Thursday,” he said.

“Sri Lanka are very grateful to India for helping us in a crisis,” he added.

South Africa had indicated on Tuesday they wanted to return home after Monday's blast close to their team hotel which killed seven people and injured eight.

The Proteas hads, however, agreed to extend their stay in Colombo pending the security assessment by the ICC, which was expected to be announced later on Wednesday.

India decided not to cancel their tour following increased security and positive indications from New Delhi's diplomatic mission here.

South Africa played a two-Test series in Sri Lanka earlier on their tour without incident. The home team won both matches against the depleted tourists, who were missing captain Graeme Smith and all-rounder Jacques Kallis.

The tri-series, which was scheduled to start on Monday, did not see a ball bowled in the first two matches.

The original opener between South Africa and Sri Lanka was rained off on Monday and cancelled again on Tuesday following South Africa's reluctance to play amid security fears.

The next match between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned on Wednesday because of wet ground conditions at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

This is not the first time a foreign cricket team has withdrawn from Sri Lanka over security fears.

New Zealand abandoned their tour in 1987 after a blast in Colombo's Pettah region, which houses the main bus and train stations, killed 110 civilians and two policemen.

The New Zealanders suffered another shock in 1992 when a blast outside their team hotel in Colombo killed the country's naval chief Clancy Fernando.

However, they went ahead with their two Test matches and three one-dayers.

Australia and the West Indies refused to play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka in 1996 when a powerful bomb in downtown Colombo, blamed on the rebel Tamil Tigers, killed 91 and injured 1,400 a few days before the tournament.—Agencies