 Sydney : Australian cricketers will present a list of security demands to the Indian Premier League after terrorist threats against the competition, the players' union said on Feb 23.
Most Australian players involved in the IPL met with Australian Cricketers Association chief Paul Marsh in Sydney on Feb 23 to be briefed on the latest security developments in India. Marsh said players were concerned by an independent report which revealed flaws in the existing security plans for the Twenty20 league and would demand arrangements be upgraded.
A Pakistan-based guerrilla group linked to al-Qaida warned last week it might carry out attacks on sports events in India, principally the IPL, and the men's field hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October. "From the outset it is important to reinforce that players want to play in this year's IPL, however the independent report has identified some serious concerns with aspects of the current security process," Marsh said.
"Specifically, these concerns relate to the reported direct threat against the event and the status and implementation of the IPL's security plan." The independent report was compiled by security consultant Reg Dickason, but Marsh would not discuss its findings in detail. Marsh said the concerns of the Australian players would be forwarded via the Federation for International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) and they would await a response from the IPL.
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