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Posted at 12:31 a.m., Thursday, November 27, 2008

Cricket: England cancels India tour after terror attack

By SANDEEP NAKAI
AP Sports Writer

NEW DELHI — The remainder of England's limited-overs cricket tour of India was canceled and a Champions League Twenty20 tournament for next week has been postponed following terror attacks that killed more than 100 people in Mumbai.

While the English squad remained near Cuttack, where it lost Wednesday night to go 5-0 down in a seven-match limited-overs series, England and Wales Cricket Board officials met Thursday with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

The Press Trust of India reported that the tour — which still had two limited-overs internationals and two test matches remaining — had been canceled following the coordinated attacks by terrorists who took Westerners hostage in Mumbai.

The ECB released a statement via text message confirming it had agreed to postpone the sixth and seventh one-day internationals and that the team would remain in Bhubaneswar, near Cuttack, for 24 hours pending further talks.

A high-ranking BCCI official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he isn't authorized to comment to the media, told The Associated Press that negotiations were continuing regarding the test series.

"It is an Indian suggestion that the one-day series be called off and England consider coming back to play the two tests later," the BCCI official said. "This suggestion was made to the England team management in Bhubaneswar, and the England team has passed on the proposal to the ECB."

"A formal announcement will be made after we've discussed things in (more) detail. The English cricketers have strong reservations about continuing the tour."

The second test was scheduled to start Dec. 19 in Mumbai.

Calls to the England team management went unanswered.

The Champions League Twenty20 tournament was due to start next Wednesday in Mumbai.

Australian star Shane Warne, captain-coach of the India champions Rajasthan Royals, was on a stopover in Singapore en route to Mumbai when he saw news reports on the terror attacks.

He said he will likely not travel to Mumbai for the tournament. One of the luxury hotels in flames, the Taj Mahal, was where English side Middlesex and the Royals planned to stay.

"It's unbelievable, the place is chaos," Warne told Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper Web site. "We are heading to Mumbai and that (the Taj Mahal) is the hotel we are staying at. I don't think we will be going (to India) now — why would you?"

"It is just not worth the risk ," he added. "No amount of money is worth the risk with what is going on over there at the moment."

The England national squad had stayed at the same hotel two weeks ago and had been due to return there Dec. 16.

Cricket Australia halted the departures of the Western Australia and Victoria state teams, along with test stars Mike Hussey, Matthew Hayden and Shane Watson who were playing for Indian teams.

"The state of play at the moment is that that we are not expecting to have any really good understanding of what the situation is for the first 12 hours," CA spokesman Peter Young said.

"We are basically on temporary hold while we assess the situation, while we get expert advice and while we consult all of the parties who are involved. I wouldn't expect we would be doing anything for at least the next 12 hours."

Cricket Australia's operations manager Michael Brown, who is a founding member of the Indian tournament and is on its organizing committee, was asked if the tournament might be canceled.

"All options are on the table," Brown said.

Naeem Gulzar, president of Sialkot Region, Pakistan's representative in the Champions League tournament, said his team had no problems if matches were shifted out of Mumbai to Bangalore or Chennai.

"After last night's incident in Mumbai, cricket is now secondary and it is too early to say what will be the future of Champions League," Gulzar told The AP. "It is highly sensitive issue.

"We have not yet been advised by the Pakistan Cricket Board, but personally I would definitely like to accompany my team if the matches are shifted to Chennai and Bangalore."

The Sialkot Stallions were scheduled to play one match in Mumbai and two in Bangalore.