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Player safety the key

Player safety the key

03/12/2008 7:42 AM

International player representatives have lifted security on the subcontinent to the top of their agenda as England continues to assess whether to resume its tour of India.

The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) will discuss player safety at its executive meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between December 9 and 12.

Although it was a subject previously on the list for discussion, it is now the number one area for debate, following the predicament faced by the England team this week.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is still weighing up whether to press ahead with a two-Test series against India following the atrocities in Mumbai last week.

FICA intends to formulate a procedure for future similar scenarios to the one
England was faced with last week and hopes its framework will be acceptable to all the game's major stakeholders.

"We are obviously concerned about the situation," FICA chief executive Tim May told PA Sport.

"On the other hand we are also concerned about the health of the game, both in places like Pakistan and India, and the rest of the world."

"It is a world significantly different now to what it was 15 years ago because of the threat of terrorism."

"So we need to discuss to what extent we will accept that the level of threat has increased."

"There needs to be an acceptance that there will be a risk wherever you play in the cricket world and to protect the players as best you can."

"The difficult part of the issue is 'when is it too risky?' Because that is an unknown and only security experts can tell us."

The ICC's global events such as the Champions Trophy and World Cup - both scheduled to be held in the subcontinent inside the next two-and-a-half years - generate the revenues distributed to dozens of associate and affiliate countries.

So putting a definitive framework in place agreeable to international players, full member countries, tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and ICC would, FICA believe, serve the good of the sport.

"What we aim to do is decide upon a process that all parties will be involved in, where all parties can get together and work through to a solution - that is the umbrella objective of the discussions," May added.

"There is no doubt what has happened in the last week has given the issue greater prominence.

"This issue was listed in our agenda three weeks ago but has been escalated by the significance of the Mumbai attacks.

"Whereas in Pakistan westerners might have been the target in the past that was not the case in India.

"Now things have changed significantly, I suggest, with Americans in particular, and British singled out."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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