MillenniumPost
Sports

Terror threat: Second Test will not be shifted from Hyderabad, states BCCI

BCCI on Friday made it clear that the second Test between India and Australia will go ahead as per schedule in Hyderabad since the state government has assured of safety and security of the players.

Hyderabad was rocked by two terror blasts on Thursday, killing 14 people and injuring many.

The visiting Australian players and officials had expressed concerns but BCCI on Friday assured them all safety measures would be in place.  Senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla said they saw no reason to shift the Hyderabad Test, scheduled to begin from March 2, from the city.

‘After BCCI president spoke to me, I spoke to Union home secretary, who was in Hyderabad and had discussion with the chief minister and officials of state government. After that he apprised me that adequate security will be provided to the players as well as the spectators. So Test match should not be shifted out of Hyderabad,’ Shukla told reporters outside the Parliament House.

Shukla said BCCI president N Srinivasan will speak to Cricket Australia chairman to assure him of the security of the players. ‘I have conveyed to BCCI president, who in turn is going to speak to chairman of Cricket Australia to convey that when government is giving guarantee of safety and security of the players and the spectators, I think we should not change the venue,’ Shukla said. 


NO DOUBT THAT TEST WILL GO AHEAD: CA


They are ‘concerned’ after bomb blasts rocked Hyderabad but Cricket Australia on Friday said there is ‘no reason to doubt’ that the match would go ahead as planned. ‘We will make assessments in time but at this stage there is no reason to doubt that what we have planned in Hyderabad will go ahead,’ CA CEO James Sutherland, who is here for the opening Test which got underway on Friday, said.

Hyderabad, which is scheduled to host the match from March 2, was Thursday rocked by two bomb blasts which have so far claimed 14 lives. ‘Very concerned to hear that news but at the same time we are focussed. On the management side, we will wait for the next few days and make any necessary assessments. But the focus here right now in Chennai is on cricket,’ asserted Sutherland.

Sutherland said he is ‘comfortable’ with the security being provided to Australian cricketers. ‘We work closely with relevant authorities and take advice from them. I think it's premature to be making assessments on that (whether Hyderabad can host the match) but from where I sit right now, my expectation would be that everything will go ahead in Hyderabad as planned,’ he stressed.
Next Story
Share it