Pakistan government clears national hockey team's India visit

The Foreign Ministry has cleared the national hockey team's visit to India for a four-nation tournament to be played in Chandigarh and Jalandhar from January 31 next year, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) informed on Thursday.

PHF Secretary, Asif Bajwa told reporters that the Pakistan foreign ministry had given signal for the visit which was in doubt after tensions escalated between the two neighbouring countries following last weeks Mumbai terror attacks.

"Pakistan hockey team will be visiting India for a four-nation tourney starting next month," said Bajwa.Apart India and Pakistan .Germany and the Netherlands would also be participating in the double leg tournament.

Pakistan's visit was also in jeopardy after Indian government shunned their junior hockey team's tour last month due security fears.

The PHF later claimed that the cancellation of the five-match Test series between the junior sides has hit them hard financially as it lost close to Rs six million.Bajwa also said both the Indian and Pakistani hockey administrators have decided to conduct regular matches on a home-and-away basis for the next five years in the International Hockey Federation's congress in Los Angeles recently.

He said Pakistan will host a major eight-nation international tournament next year as a tribute to slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.However, he informed that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue due to security situation.

India-England series should go on: ICC

The International Cricket Council on Sunday said the two-Test series between India and England should be held as scheduled provided there was enough safety and security for the players and officials.

The world governing body of the game expressed 'shock' over the Mumbai terror strikes and also promised to address the security issue which was affecting the game worldwide.

"If safety and security allow then I would urge the England Test tour of India to go ahead and if it does so then representatives of the ICC will be there to show solidarity with the competing teams," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

"And if those Tests are played I would also urge supporters of the game to attend them as that will be the best way to send a message to those who seek to disrupt our way of life, that we will not be prevented from doing what we want or what we enjoy," Lorgat added.

Lorgat commiserated with India in the wake of the Mumbai mayhem which claimed nearly 200 lives but urged cricket playing nations not to let terror affect the game in any part of the world.

On behalf of the ICC, I would like to offer the condolences and sympathy of the entire cricket world to Mumbai and to India in the wake of the terrible events of the last few days."Sadly, terrorism appears increasingly to be a fact of life that we must endure.

What we as a cricket family must do is to try, wherever possible, to rise above it and show that those who wish to perpetrate evil cannot win," he said.

Lorgat said they will ponder over the issue of security at next week's Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) meeting of the ICC to be held in South Africa."At that meeting I intend to raise the question of how we can all come together to address the challenges that the issue of safety and security brings to our game.

"Cricket is a common thread that binds all ICC Members and we must seek to ensure those ties endure. By doing so we will ensure our strong sport will grow even stronger," added Lorgat.

ICC also pledged support to the India and England cricket boards to help game get back on track.I have today written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) pledging whatever support the ICC can offer to help ensure that, if appropriate, cricket goes ahead."I have also written to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with a similar offer of support and solidarity," Lorgat said through the statement.

Tendulkar felt numb, salutes security men

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar, a resident of Mumbai, said he was unable to sleep when terrorists struck his city.

Like all Indians a disturbed Tendulkar traced all developments on the television right after India won the fifth One-Dayer in Cuttack.

He said he was saddened to see his countrymen being targeted and felt numb as the horrific images kept playing in his head. Tendulkar also saluted the security personnel who risked their lives to save the people of Mumbai.

We can't allow cowards to run our game: KP

Most of his teammates may have developed cold feet but England captain Kevin Pietersen said he would return to India for the Test series, provided security adviser Reg Dickason okays the tour.

Back in the comfort of his family, Pietersen said he could not sleep since terror struck Mumbai but asserted terrorism should not be allowed to play spoilsport.

"We can't allow these cowards to run our game," Pietersen wrote in Sunday's 'News of the World'."It puts it all into perspective when you see blood on the streets. But if Reg gives us the OK, then I'll be back for the two Test matches and complete the tour.

"He has been around the block and I trust his judgement 100 per cent. If he says it is safe to go back to India for the First Test in 11 days, then you can count me in," added the England captain.Pietersen, however, made it clear that he would not force any teammate to join the touring party.

"It is a brutal situation and a world tragedy. So if any of the lads decide they don't want to return, then that's fine with me they have got wives and kids to think about," he said.Horrified by what he saw on television, Pietersen said it was a close shave for the English cricketers.

"We were on the team bus coming back from Cuttack when we heard news of the horrific slaughter of innocent people in Mumbai."We were 800 miles from the attack but suddenly we felt very vulnerable, especially as we had stayed at the targeted Taj Mahal Hotel just two weeks ago," he said.

"We were due to go back there for the Second Test all our whites and blazers for the Test matches are still in there somewhere.

"...I will never forget it. I was walking down those steps only days ago to have a quick drink with a mate on his boat now they are the scene of a tragedy," Pietersen said."It could have been one or all of us being carried out in a body bag.

And when you see something like that you sense danger around every corner," he added."And when you hear that the terrorists are singling out English tourists it sends a shiver down your spine. In cricket-mad India who could be more high profile than the England team?"And who could be more high profile than their captain? It makes my blood run cold," Pietersen said.

The South African-born cricketer said as England captain, he was ready to face any opposition but certainly not terrorists."You don't expect to have to deal with tragedies like this when you take on the captaincy...Field placing, bowling changes, declarations and bad light you expect not cold-blooded murder," he said.

Emotionally drained by the episode, Pietersen plans to attend Sunday's Chelsea vs Arsenal match to take his mind off the incident.

"Before we decide what we are going to do I'm going to take time out to go to Stamford Bridge to cheer on my mate Frank Lampard today."I need something to take my mind off this carnage," Pietersen said.

Indian terror attacks could affect cricket economy

The terror attacks in India can have serious repercussions on world cricket's economy because India generates 70 percent of the game's revenues.

England cut short their seven-match ODI series in India, leaving their next month's two-Test series in doubt. The Twenty20 Champions League has also been postponed after the Mumbai mayhem.England's decision not to play the last two one-dayers may trigger a compensation issue.

"If you look at Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they quite clearly have their own political difficulties. India has always floated just below the surface," Jonathan Ticehurst, a sports insurance expert and director of Long Reach insurers, was quoted as saying by The Times.

"I think what the last 24 hours has shown us is that, all of a sudden, India is right in the frontline when it comes to terrorism. As a consequence, the insurance market will significantly increase the premium rate they require to cover the cancellation of sporting events in India.

"The revenue of the postponed Champions League was estimated at $15 million and one Indian insurance company won the bid to insure the tournament for a meagre $30,000.

"The London market quoted $60,000 for the abandonment for the entire tournament. That shows you how they regarded the Indian risk. It isn't going to be $60,000 next year," Ticehurst said.The cancellation of the league has also burnt a hole in Australian cricket's pocket.

Western Australia and Victoria will miss out on the minimum $250,000 for competing teams, while Cricket Australia (CA) - a 25 percent stakeholder in the tournament - estimates that its losses are in the millions. The winners would have bagged a whopping $3 million.

"CA is losing quite a lot. It's millions of dollars. Again, this whole issue and all of the problems in Mumbai are bigger and greater than cricket. We fully understand that these things happen. Unfortunately that's how it is.

There are a lot of people worse off than us," CA chief executive was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.Andy Sutherden, managing director of sports marketing and sponsorship for Hill & Knowlton, said sports tourism will be hit hard.

"The loss of revenue for those staying at home will be significant. I think there will be a crisis of confidence in attending sport in this part of the world and confidence is quite a difficult thing to win back at speed," Sutherden said.

Andrew Wildblood, a senior vice-president and corporate director for India at IMG and one of the architects of the Indian Premier League (IPL), hoped that things would return to normalcy.

"It's too early to say but generally when these things happen, the world returns to normality, otherwise the world would stop. But normal now is not what normal was pre 9/11. These circumstances cannot be planned for," he said.

England's decision to return home lauded

London: England cricketers' decision to abandon the One-Day series against India and return home after the terror attack in Mumbai has been backed by the nation's cricket fraternity, which termed it a 'sensible' move.

Kevin Pietersen's men, trailing 0-5 in the seven-match ODI series, decided to return home after cancelling the remaining two matches in the wake of the devastating terror strikes in the financial capital of India.

Both the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) and its English counterpart are optimistic about England's return to India for the Test matches and in a bid to salvage the two-match series, the BCCI on Friday shifted the venue of the second Test from the terror-hit Mumbai to Chennai.

But if the English players are reluctant to travel back to India, they have an ally in former England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Lord MacLaurin.

"It was absolutely the right decision to come home. The England cricket team are very high-profile individuals. If these fanatics are going to target people then the England cricket side could be a very big target for them," MacLaurin was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"My own view is that I would be very, very surprised if the security people will give them the OK to go back. I don't think they should go back. I think it's sad for cricket but the safety of our players is absolutely paramount and I am sure the ECB will take the same view," he added.

Former England cricketers also backed the team management's decision to return, saying the situation in India was not safe for the players to stay back. "I'm sure they would have taken a lot of security advice.

Two one-day internationals may have been cancelled but if you look at the bigger picture there has been a devastating attack on the commercial capital of India and a lot of people have lost their lives," Solanki said.

Wicket-keeper Paul Nixon, who represents Leicestershire in county cricket and the World XI in ICL, lauded the rebel league management for calling off the World Series which was being held at Ahmedabad and said the Mumbai attack was too scary to continue playing cricket.

"Obviously the top board members of the ICL made the decision that it was getting too scary out there really for everybody's safety," Nixon said.

"It was horrific. The bombs in London . . . It's been exactly the same in India."