No security worries on Pak-origin players: ECB

New Delhi, November 3

England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) security advisor Reg Dickason has dismissed security concerns over the Pakistan-origin players in the squad due to the tensions between India and Pakistan. There are three players with Pakistani roots in the England team — Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari. Also, former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq — who is now a British citizen — will be with the squad as a spin bowling consultant.

The team also has Haseeb Hameed, a 19-year-old opener who is yet to play Test cricket, and whose father migrated from Gujarat to England. 

Dickason has said Ali and Rashid had not expressed any desire to opt out of the series. 

Earlier, it had been reported that Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar was withdrawn from the series due to security reasons. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rubbished this, saying Dar was not appointed for the India-England series as he was already nominated for the Australia-South Africa Test series. Dar is currently officiating in the first Test, which began today in Perth.

“We have no real concerns but we’re certainly aware of the issues Aleem Dar has,” Dickason told a cricket website. “I know it was reported that he wasn’t going, that he’d been pulled out, but according to ICC he’s just been rostered at another event.”

“But Shiv Sena had some issues with Aleem there and went to the BCCI offices,” added Dickason. “So we’re certainly aware of that but we don’t expect any real issues. I’ve spoken to him and Adil and they seem ok to me. They haven’t expressed any doubts to me.”

Less overt security

Dickason was satisfied over the security plans drawn for the England team. “It’ll be similar to Bangladesh but a different layout,” he said, referring to their recent tour of Bangladesh. “It was very overt here and it won’t be as overt in India. The road clearances that we got here are   usually reserved for heads of state, we probably won’t get it in India. But we’ll get adequate transit protection.”

“The BCCI get a host-city security plan which is a generic issue from a master security plan which is put across the whole event. There will be some subtle differences but it won’t be too many,” he added. — TNS, Agencies