CA promises tight security for players

Plans exhaustive safety measures for the Ashes series

Cricket Australia has assured that they would take all possible measures to keep players and spectators safe and the ground security measures will be better than ever for the coming Ashes series.

CA said measures would be finalised through exhaustive discussion and planning with state and federal police and ground safety groups. 8220;There is a lot of work being done regarding security. At the micro level, it is being discussed with police and all relevant security organisations in more detail than in previous years,8221; CA spokesman Peter Young said.

8220;Security has been a very important issue for a long time. You can8217;t afford to relax. Fundamental to that process is a really close relationship with the relevant security agencies,8221; he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald today.

The assurances came after British newspaper The Sunday Times reported an alleged Al-Qaeda plot to kill the Australian and English teams in last year8217;s Ashes in England by pumping sarin gas into the Edgbaston dressing rooms. The report said the plot was aborted after it was opposed by a cricket-loving Al-Qaeda operative.

The Australian Cricketers Association, while still awaiting CA8217;s finalised security plan, said it was confident proper measures would be taken. 8220;We have no reason to doubt that what will be in place will be appropriate,8221; chief executive Paul Marsh said.

Former Test batsman and new ACA president Darren Lehmann in another report said 8220;after what happened in London, to think we could have been implicated in that is a real shock to us all. 8220;We will make it as safe for players as you can possibly make it in this day and age,8221; he said.

Pakistan8217;s no to ECB compensation demand

KARACHI: Pakistan have rejected a compensation demand by the England and Wales Cricket Board ECB for the forfeited Oval Test in August, official said today. 8220;We have officially written a letter that the Oval Test not being completed is a case of cause and effect and we are not going to pay. The cause was umpire Darrell Hair and not us,8221; PCB director operations Salim Altaf said. The ECB had last week written to the PCB that it incurred losses of 800,000 pounds 1.5 million dollars after Pakistan team refused to resume play on the fourth afternoon in protest at being penalised for ball tampering.