Security fears over ICC World Cup after India bomb blast

The Professional Cricketers’ Association has expressed security concerns over next year’s ICC World Cup in India in the wake of the double bomb blast at an Indian Premier League match on Saturday.

 

The International Cricket Council’s board, which gathered today and will conclude its two‑day meeting in Dubaitomorrow, is discussing the security situation as part of a packed agenda that also includes discussion of the future tours programme from 2012.

 

The bomb blast in Bangalore, whichleft 14 people injured and led to the relocation of the two semi-finals to Mumbai,has heightened concerns over other forthcoming international sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October and next year’s cricket World Cup in India,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

 

The ICC, however, is likely to point to its confidence in its own strengthened security regime. It has implemented a number of changes as a result of the review by Lord Condon that followed the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in November 2008, including insisting that every team has its own security officer.

 

Bangalore’s England batsman KevinPietersen played in Saturday’s match – which went ahead after an hour-long security check at the venue, though the decision was left in the hands of the players. Pietersen, one of five English players taking part in the IPL, was left anxious and upset over the handling of the incident.

 

The PCA’s legal director, Ian Smith, expressed wider concerns today about security in the region, affecting not just future editions of the IPL but also the ICC’s global showpiece, due to be held from 19 February to 2 April next year.

 

“The main impact of this is going to be not just on the future of IPL4 [next year’s IPL] but primarily on the Cricket World Cup next year,” said Smith. “The IPL is primarily an Indian event, whereas at the World Cup you’ve got a far more dangerous situation, more spread out, with whole teams of foreigners rather than just a couple of blokes.” He fears a worst-case scenario in which the tournament may have to be moved away from the region. In 2009 the Champions Trophy was taken away from Pakistanin the wake of the Lahore attack on Sri Lankaand it was decided that its World Cup matches would be relocated to the other three host countries.

 

The South African security firm Nicholls Steyn and Associates was employed by IPL organisers to formulate a security plan for the tournament and is scheduled to do likewise for the World Cup.

 

Smith said he had no concerns over their efforts but focused instead on the implementation of the plan by local police and armed forces. “Players are not supposed to be stuck in traffic, stationary in the bus, but they are,” he said. “We ought to have a visible uniformed presence on every bridge that crosses the road on the way and every player will tell you they’ve never seen a bloke on a bridge.”

 

He praised Mumbai police and said he was not concerned about the remaining matches because they took place in a single venue that was easily controllable.

 

This October’s Commonwealth Games in Delhiwould act as a high profile barometer for the World Cup, Smith said: “That’s slightly easier to control because it’s in one city. They’ve got a good security plan, we’re aware of that, so the test is can they implement it? If they can keep the Commonwealth Games safe, that might start to make you believe that they can keep the other venues safe in the Cricket World Cup.”Commonwealth Games England, in its first public statement since the bombings, said it still intended to compete at the Delhi Games. “The safety of everyone who is part of the Englandteam is of paramount importance to Commonwealth Games England,” said a spokeswoman. “It is England’s intention to compete at the Games.” A spokeswoman for Commonwealth Games Scotland said it would continue to monitor the security situation.

 

“Security is a priority for us, as it is at every Games. We will continue to monitor it and take advice from the Commonwealth Games Federation, the organisers and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. All of the home nations have also been receiving support from the Metropolitan Police,” she said.

 

But she said that officials and athletes who had travelled to Indiafor test events and talks over the organisation of the Games had been reassured by the levels of security. “Our experience of our officials going there for the general assembly and for the chef de missions meeting in March is that it was all fine and there were no problems.”

 

Athletes from sports including archery, boxing and shooting had visited Delhi to take part in test events, the spokeswoman added.

^{guardian.co.uk}