MELBOURNE, Australia, July 19: Australia is ready and available to take part in a one-day cricket series in Kenya next month, the Australian Cricket Board said Friday.
ACB chief executive James Sutherland said the world champions’ participation in the tournament would be confirmed once the ACB had undertaken its regular security and operational checks.
The tournament was originally to have taken place in Pakistan, and also involved New Zealand.
Security concerns ruled out Pakistan as a venue, and the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Thursday that New Zealand had withdrawn from the series.
Kenya is likely to take New Zealand’s place in the triangular tournament from Aug 27 to Sept 7.
“Before Australian teams travel to any international cricket venues, the ACB needs to be satisfied that a number of security and cricket operational matters are in place,” Sutherland said in a statement.
“The ACB has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that the Australian team is available for the Kenyan one-day international series, but participation is subject to our satisfaction that player security measures are in place and cricket facilities are adequate.
“Having played in Kenya only two years ago we have a reasonable level of comfort that it is a suitable venue, but we need to go through some formalities before we confirm our participation.”
Australia last played one-day international cricket in Kenya in October 2000, when it lost to India in the first round of the International Cricket Council knockout tournament.
The ACB is considering whether to proceed with a three-Test tour of Pakistan in October, but the country appears off-limits to New Zealand.
An explosion outside its hotel on May 8 forced the New Zealand team to cut short its tour of Pakistan.
Cricket in Pakistan has been badly hit in the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks on the United States and the resulting war on terror in Afghanistan.
The West Indies and Sri Lanka both refused to tour Pakistan and a Test series against West Indies had to be relocated to Sharjah.
Queensland spinner Nathan Hauritz has been added to the Australian cricket squad announced on Friday for the proposed one-day series against Pakistan in Kenya and the ICC Champions trophy in Sri Lanka.
The matches against Pakistan in Kenya are yet to be confirmed but proposed dates are from Aug 27 to Sept 7.
The ICC Champions Trophy will be played in Sri Lanka from Septr 12-29.
Australia are drawn in the same group as New Zealand and Bangladesh for the ICC tournament, which is played in four groups with the winners advancing to the knockout semifinals.
Australian squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Michael Bevan, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Shane Watson.
SYDNEY: The chances of Steve Waugh and twin brother Mark making Australia’s one-day team for next year’s World Cup were dealt a blow Friday when they were overlooked for an Australia ‘A’ tour of South Africa.
Both names were absent when the Australian Cricket Board named a 14-man squad for the series of seven limited-overs matches against South Africa ‘A’ from Sept 4.
Justin Langer will captain the squad, with neither of the Waughs now regarded as being among the top 28 one-day players in the country.
Both men were also left out of the 14-man Australia squad to play a triangular limited-overs series against Pakistan in Kenya next month.
The Australian ‘A’ squad is: Justin Langer (captain), Simon Katich, Greg Blewett, Nathan Bracken, Ryan Campbell, Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Ian Harvey, Mark Higgs, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Brad Williams, Damien Wright.—Reuters