BCCI rules out shifting second Test from Hyderabad

The BCCI on Friday said the second cricket Test between India and Australia will go ahead as scheduled in Hyderabad since the state government has given assurance of safety and security of the players.

Hyderabad was rocked by two blasts on Thursday, killing 14 people and injuring many. The visiting Australian players and officials had expressed concerns but BCCI today assured them all safety measures would be in place.

Cricket Australia, meanwhile, said there is “no reason to doubt” that the match would go ahead as planned. BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said they saw no reason to shift the Hyderabad Test, scheduled to begin from March 2.

“After BCCI president spoke to me, I spoke to Union Home Secretary, who was in Hyderabad and had a discussion with the chief minister and officials of the state government. After that he apprised me that adequate security will be provided to the players as well as the spectators. So the Test match should not be shifted out of Hyderabad,” Shukla said.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said in Chennai that at this stage, they wouldn’t alter their plans of playing in Hyderabad. “We will make assessments in time but at this stage there is no reason to doubt that what we have planned in Hyderabad will go ahead,” Sutherland, who is in Chennai for the opening Test, said.

“Very concerned to hear that news. On the management side, we will wait for the next few days and make any necessary assessments. But the focus here right now in Chennai is on cricket,” asserted Sutherland.