LONDON, Oct 26: Five of England’s 16-man squad on Friday asked for more time before deciding whether to join the three-Test tour to India because of the military action in nearby Afghanistan.
Eleven players said they would go to India but Marcus Trescothick, Andy Caddick, Robert Croft, Ashley Giles and Craig White have requested an extension to Friday’s deadline set by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to declare their intent.
The five attached great importance to making the right decision and will be given until Monday to make their minds up.
“There are always risks in life, and I feel I need more time to consider,” said paceman Caddick.
“This is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make and I need to feel 100 percent confident before myself and my family can make a decision.”
The ECB accepted that it was a difficult decision for players to make, especially those with young families, and said it was happy to grant the players more time.
“I am glad that no-one has so far made themselves unavailable to go on the tour,” said ECB chief executive Tim Lamb.
“But we do need to have definite decisions after this weekend in order to finalise the selection of the team and all the detailed arrangements for the tour.”
The ECB maintained that the tour would definitely go ahead, with or without the five undecided players, but admitted it would continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for India.
“The advice from the Foreign Office, that it is safe to tour, still stands.
“We hope that this won’t change, but if it does then we will act appropriately,” said Lamb.
“We will, however, be monitoring the security situation on a daily basis from now until the tour ends just before Christmas.”
The eleven players who have pledged their support for the tour are captain Nasser Hussain, Usman Afzaal, Mark Butcher, Richard Dawson, James Foster, Warren Hegg, Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond, Mark Ramprakash, Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan.
Jagmohan Dalmiya, the President of the Indian Cricket Board, has intimated that if England refused to tour, or sent a below-par side, it could have implications for India’s proposed tour of England next year.—AFP