11.3 C
London
Monday, March 18, 2024
HomeSportsCricketIndian Home Minister allays Pakistan's World T20 fears

Indian Home Minister allays Pakistan’s World T20 fears

Date:

Related stories

Bangalore win maiden Women’s Premier League title

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE grabbed their first Women’s Premier League...

Nice to see the confidence of young India, says coach Rahul Dravid

INDIA coach Rahul Dravid last Saturday (9) praised his...

Write England off at your peril, says Stokes after India series defeat

ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes warned critics last Saturday (9)...

Grieving Brook withdraws from IPL after grandmother’s death

ENGLAND batter Harry Brook has withdrawn from this year’s...

How Ashwin spun his way to 500 Test scalps

SUNIL SUBRAMANIAM could never put his finger on why...

PAKISTAN need not worry about the safety of their cricket teams in the ongoing World Twenty20 in India, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday (March 11).

The March 19 clash between the neighbours has already been shifted to Kolkata following Pakistan's security concerns over the original venue Dharamsala.

Pakistan said on Thursday (March 10) its men's and women's cricket teams would travel to India only after New Delhi gave a public guarantee of the safety of its players.

"Why only Pakistan? Whoever comes here, India provides them security. There is no reason to be worried about security here," Singh told reporters.

On Thursday, junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju promised foolproof security to Pakistan, a country shunned by top teams since a 2009 attack on a bus carrying a visiting Sri Lanka team near Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.

Outside of international tournaments, cricket matches between the neighbours have been suspended since gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai in a three-day rampage in 2008, which India blames on a Pakistani militant group.

The latest developments threaten to further sour relations between the cricket boards with the powerful BCCI in India accusing its counterpart of looking for a reason to skip the ongoing tournament.

"Unfortunately, Pakistan is looking for an excuse not to come," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur told CNN-IBN channel.

"We are providing security to everyone and Pakistan will be given adequate security. They should not be worried about security," said Thakur, also a member of parliament representing from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The International Cricket Council, the game's governing body, said on Wednesday (March 9) it had been given assurances on security from all the Indian state authorities that are hosting matches.

Former champions Pakistan, who lost to India in the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, are scheduled to begin their campaign with a March 16 contest against a qualifying team in Kolkata.  

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

five × one =