Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Distressed by the turmoil in Pakistan following former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto8217;s assassination, Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds says he is 8220;seriously8221; considering pulling out of next year8217;s tour to the troubled nation.
8220;I8217;m not interested in going into a situation that8217;s dangerous, where people are getting killed and hurt. There8217;s no point in that in my opinion,8221; Symonds was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.
8220;I8217;m giving it some serious thought. At the end of the day, it8217;s a game of cricket. I take my cricket very seriously and I love playing for Australia but I8217;m not going to put myself in a situation where I can be harmed. There8217;s no need, not for a game of cricket,8221; he added.
Australia are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 match in Pakistan in March. Although Cricket Australia CA has asserted that the tour will go ahead as scheduled, Symonds insists that players are a worried lot.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has made it clear that it will not shift the series to a neutral venue like 2002-03 and assured security 8220;above that of visiting prime ministers8221; for the Australian players. But the Aussie concerns about security remain high.
