Windies Worry On Safety
The West Indies will not hesitate to abandon Friday’s fourth one-day international against India if the safety of the players is at risk, says team manager Ricky Skerritt.
“Of course we want the remaining four matches in the series to be completed,” Skerritt said on the eve of the day-night match in Ahmedabad.
**“But if the players are at risk, we will walk out again.” **
Crowd trouble has marred all the three games played so far, the tourists taking a 2-0 lead before walking off the field at Rajkot on Tuesday when three players were targeted with plastic bottles.
Match referee Mike Procter abandoned play and awarded the game to India, based on the Duckworth-Lewis system used primarily for rain-hit matches.
Ahmedabad and Monday’s venue Baroda are both, like Rajkot, in the state of Gujarat, where thousands were killed in communal violence earlier this year.
Procter held a meeting with senior police and cricket officers on Thursday in which it was decided that every spectator entering the stadium would be frisked.
"We will not allow spectators to carry anything inside the ground that could be used as missiles to hit the players, " a police officer said.
**“Among the 2000 security personnel who will be on duty, many plain-clothed policemen will be seated in the stands to identify miscreants.” **
India have dropped leg-spinner Anil Kumble from their squad for the next two matches after he failed to impress in the two opening losses.
All-rounder Ajit Agarkar, who scored 95 as a pinch-hitter in the first match but has been expensive with the ball, is also left out.
Seamer Lakshipathy Balaji and left-arm spinner Murli Kartik were called up along with Parthiv Patel as back-up wicketkeeper.
West Indies skipper Carl Hooper is hopeful of shrugging off a nagging knee injury in time to take his place, after missing the Rajkot match.
And left-arm fast bowler Pedro Collins, sidelined for the last two games because of back trouble, is also showing improvement and will be considered for selection.