SYDNEY, Aug 3: Prime Minister John Howard has told Pakistan that a decision on whether Australia tour the country in October will be made by the cricket board and not the government.

John Howard said on Saturday he had been contacted by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf who had told the Prime Minister that the safety of the Australia cricket team could be guaranteed.

“(General Musharraf) said he could guarantee the security of the team and expressed the strong desire of the Pakistani government and cricket board that the tour go ahead,” Howard told reporters on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Several leading Australian players have said they are unwilling to travel to Pakistan because of fears of bomb attacks such as the one which killed 11 French people and three Pakistanis in Karachi in May.

The attack prompted New Zealand to cancel the remainder of their tour.

“I told (General Musharraf) that the decision about whether or not the tour goes ahead will be taken by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) not the Australian government,” Howard said.

“I am not going to put any pressure on the Australian Cricket Board to make a decision.”

Howard said he had passed on the details of his conversation with the Pakistan leader to the ACB.

“I respect Pakistan as a great cricket-loving nation and competitor and I can understand the desire of the government and the authorities for the tour to go ahead,” he said.

“Equally I can understand that the security of our players must be worked out.”—Reuters