Sri Lanka coach fears C’wealth Games a target

Sri Lanka cricket coach Trevor Bayliss voiced fears on Tuesday that extremists would target next year’s Commonwealth Games in India and backed criticism of security arrangements in Pakistan.

Returning to his homeland for the first time since gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore last week, the Australian said the attack that left eight dead had cast a shadow on sport across the entire subcontinent.

“There’s some big questions to be asked by the governing bodies of all the sports, not just cricket,” Bayliss told reporters.

“I think this proves if cricket, which is the number one sport basically on the subcontinent, can get hit, then any sport can get hit and especially any big sporting tournaments or the Commonwealth Games maybe.”

Commonwealth Games chiefs have said the event will be held in Delhi next year under tight security, although Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser has warned that organisers risk “another Munich” if they proceed.

Bayliss questioned why cricketing authorities in the subcontinent did not commission independent security reviews before allowing players and officials to tour.

“Here in Australia they would get independent security advice. The advice over there was, I think, the two governments speaking together,” he said.

Asked if he was angry about the situation, he said: “I suppose yes but there’s nothing I can do about it now.” He supported criticism from match officials travelling in a minibus behind Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore that security was inadequate.

Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis, along with British match referee Chris Broad, have complained they felt deserted by their security escort during the attack.

International Cricket Council boss Haroon Lorgat has suggested the officials need to be “more rational” about their experience but Bayliss backed their version of events.

“They told the truth as they saw it,” he said.

“There’s probably a big difference between some of the comments that have been made between some of the people that weren’t in that convoy to the ones sitting in the bus.

MELBOURNE, AFP