July 13, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 9, 1429

SYDNEY, July 12: Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz has echoed Shane Watson’s feelings on the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, saying he didn’t care where he played as long he got to represent his country.

Watson had said he’d play anywhere but some Australian players, including Andrew Symonds, expressed their reservations on touring Pakistan, which had two bomb attacks on its cities in the past two weeks.

However Hauritz, who was named in Australia’s 30 probables for the Champions Trophy, said getting the chance to play for the national team didn’t happen all the time.

“You can go to a number of places in this world that are dangerous,” Hauritz, who last played for Australia in 2004, told the Sydney-based Daily Telegraph.

“But at the end of the day it’s not my call and it’s up to Cricket Australia. I’m sure they will do everything they can to make sure it’s safe.”’

Peter Young, the Cricket Australia spokesman, made it clear the board wouldn’t send players to a place that was dangerous.

“We understand the players’ concerns,” Young said. “It is a concern of ours. International cricket is important to billions of fans around the world but, like Andrew [Symonds] said, ‘It’s only a game’, and the issue is if we can justify sending our players anywhere where it might be dangerous.”

Australia are expected to take a decision on whether or not to tour Pakistan in three weeks.

While the board, along with New Zealand Cricket and the England board, had hired Reg Dickason, an independent security expert, to visit Karachi and submit a report on the security measures for the Asia Cup, Cricket Australia’s own operations chief, Michael Brown, is not expected back from his annual leave till next week, Young said.—Agencies