Australian govt asks CA to take final call on Indian tour

Sydney, Sep 15 (UNI) While the Australian players are still waiting to learn whether they will proceed with their planned tour of India, the government has put the onus on the cricket Board to take a final call on the tour.

New Delhi, which is scheduled to host the third Test of the four-Test series against Australia on October 20, was rocked by a series of bomb blasts which left over 30 people dead and scores injured.

Though the Australian government has issued a travel warning about visiting India, it said the final decision on whether the players should tour would be left to Cricket Australia (CA).

''We'll provide them with all of our up-to-date travel and assessment advisories,'' Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said today.

''They are also, as I understand it, getting their own independent security advice which is what they do on a regular basis.

''But in the end it is for Cricket Australia to make a decision, which is how we have dealt with the proposed Pakistan Test tour and also the proposed Champions Trophy.'' The four-Test series is due to begin on October 9 in Bangalore.

With security a prime concern for the CA because of which it postponed to of its tour to Pakistan this year, the Board has already asked independent security officials to provide them with information on whether it is safe to tour India or not.

CA is expecting an answer from its ispection team in the next few days with the squad due to fly out this weekend.

Australia pulled out of their tour of Pakistan because of security fears and the Champions Trophy, which was also scheduled to take place in Pakistan but later postponed.

Meanwhile, the Australian players' concern over the security in India have started gaining momentum but there have been no real suggestions of a boycott from them.

''I've been in touch with a couple of players and they just wanted to know what the process was,'' Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh told a Sydney radio station.

''There's no panic within the group. There's just some general concern.

''They trust Cricket Australia and I'm sure we'll get the right decision and outcome,'' Marsh added.

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