Security is cricket’s great problem, says ICC chief

Julian GUYER

Safety and security remains the biggest problem facing world cricket, the head of the sport’s global governing body told reporters here on Wednesday.

International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan said the armed attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore on March 3 had “changed the landscape”.

That attack, which also saw shots fired at a coach carrying the umpires and the match referee, led to the suspension of international cricket in Pakistan.

Since then the ongoing concerns about the safety of Pakistan as a venue for international sport while the government battles the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, led the ICC to re-distribute its scheduled 14 matches at the 2011 World Cup among fellow Asian co-hosts India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

“The biggest problem is safety and security,” Morgan told a meeting of the Indian Journalists’ Association at the Oval here on Wednesday.

“The Lahore attacks changed the landscape.

“That was a tragic event, so many people had said to me ‘never worry about playing Test match cricket in Pakistan, the cricketers won’t be targeted.

“But they were and so were the player control team.”

“Now we have a security task force in place, chaired by Lord (Paul) Condon (a former commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police) and they will be reporting at our board meeting on February 10 and 11.” Last year’s terror attacks in Mumbai and the wider security situation in the region have led to questions about the suitability of staging the next edition of the ICC’s showpiece event in the sub-continent.

But Morgan said: “We are happy with the 2011 security arrangements.

“I believe we have very competent people on that group.” Meanwhile, Morgan also revealed the ICC were looking at returning to their former headquarters at London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The ICC left for Dubai in 2005 after the British government refused to grant international sporting bodies exemption from corporation tax. Morgan, a former England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman, insisted the financial situation in Dubai was not behind talk of a return.

“It has nothing to do with the recession in Dubai,” said Morgan, who insisted a move was being talked about before the economic downturn in the United Arab Emirates became apparent.

“The board would like to relocate if feasible,” Morgan explained.

“The attractions of Lord’s are the tradition and London is a great commercial centre.

“It was a pleasant surprise when the board asked me to look at it.

“A number of board members have been talking to me about the attractiveness of coming back to Lord’s.

“The cost implications are being studied. I will give a progress report to the (ICC) board in February and expect to have a firmer decision in June.”

Asked what had prompted talk of coming back to Lord’s, Morgan replied: “Attitudes to working in Dubai and the environment in the UK.”

One potential problem with a return to London is the entry of Zimbabwe officials into Britain. Zimbabwe’s scheduled tour of England this year was cancelled after the ECB suspended bilateral arrangements with Cricket Zimbabwe because of the political situation in the African country.

“Access to the UK for ICC meetings is something Giles Clarke (the current ECB chairman) and I will be discussing with the UK authorities in the near future,” Morgan said. LONDON, Thursday AFP