Australia delay their departure
sydney: Cricket Australia on Saturday announced that due to safety and security concerns it had delayed the world champions' departure for next month's tour of Bangladesh. CA chief executive James Sutherland said that advice from the Australian government had identified a potential security risk to Australian interests in Bangladesh. The team was due to leave Sydney on Monday but will now wait for further security advice before confirming its travel arrangements for the tour. "We have received advice from DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and based on that information we are working with security experts and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on a revised security plan for the tour," Sutherland said. "We want the tour to go ahead and are planning for that, but the safety and security of our players and support staff is our number-one priority and won't be compromised. "We will wait to receive updated security information early in the week before confirming the team's travel arrangements."
Phil slams ‘outside interference'
Bridgetown (Barbados): West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has courted controversy by slamming "interference from outside" for the omission of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the one-day squad for the upcoming tour of Sri lanka. The 52-year-old Simmons, who took charge of the squad back in March following the World Cup, said he, chairman of selectors Clive lloyd and captain Jason Holder, were all in favour of the Trinidadian duo's re-inclusion but "people" had used their "influence" to keep them out of the squad, reports CMC. In a candid interview with reporters on the final day of the West Indies camp at the 3Ws Oval, Simmons castigated such interference as "wrong" and said it had robbed the region of its best ODI squad. However, he did not say who the interference was coming from. "I think it's disappointing from the fact that I haven't got the best 50-over ODI squad that we can select in the Caribbean," he said.
Pak returning favor in Zim tour
harrare: Pakistan is returning the favor by touring Zimbabwe for two Twenty20 internationals and three one-dayers starting on Sunday. Pakistan visit in a reciprocal agreement after Zimbabwe became the first test team to play in Pakistan in six years back in May. That was Pakistan's first home series against a full ICC member team since 2009, when gunmen attacked Sri lanka's team bus on its way to a game. Pakistan won four of the five games against Zimbabwe at home, with the other abandoned because of rain.
Still, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said on arrival in Zimbabwe that the Zimbabweans deserve respect, especially after they beat India and New Zealand in limited-overs games at home in recent months.