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| August 21, 2006 | Monday | Rajab 25, 1427 |
SA withdrawal hurts cricket, says ICC chief
COLOMBO, Aug 20: World cricket boss Percy Sonn said on Sunday he was disappointed at South Africa's decision to abandon the tour of Sri Lanka for security reasons, but declined to impose sanctions on the Proteas.
“I am deeply disappointed at their decision to go home,” Sonn, a South African lawyer who heads the International Cricket Council, told a media conference in the Sri Lankan capital.
South Africa last week cancelled a limited-overs tri-series against India and Sri Lanka following a blast close to their team hotel on Aug 10 which killed seven people and wounded eight.
Cricket South Africa said the decision to pull out was based on reports from their own security officials and an ICC-commissioned independent assessment which ruled that “the current risk to the team in Colombo was at an unacceptable level.”
India, however, decided to stay on in Sri Lanka for a three-match one-day series – which was cancelled on Sunday because of bad weather – against the hosts in lieu of the cancelled tri-series following increased security and positive assurances from New Delhi's diplomatic mission here.
“South Africa withdrew for reasons that had nothing to do with cricket,” said Sonn, who took over as ICC chief last month from Pakistan's Ehsan Mani.
“That is not the spirit of cricket which says the game must go on in most circumstances.
“The cricketers are there to play the game and bring joy to millions of cricket fans around the world.”—AFP
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