Chandigarh, Dec 9 (UNI) England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) security adviser Reg Dickason today visited the PCA stadium in Mohali and discussed the security arrangments with the Punjab government authorities and police officials. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allotted the second Test match between India and England to the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) to be played at Mohali from December 19 to 23. The English players had expressed their reservations on playing at Mohali due to the venue's close proximity to Pakistan and also because there was no direct flight to London from here. Dickason met Mohali Deputy Commissioner Rahul Bhandari, Inspector General of Police V K Bhambra, Mohali SSP Jatinder Singh Aulakh and Chandigarh SSP Sudhanshu Srivastava.
PCA president Inderjit Singh Bindra also accompanied the ECB security adviser. ECB Managing Director, Hugh Morris and Players' Cricket Association CEO, Sean Morris would be reaching Chandigarh tomorrow and would visit Hotel Taj in Sector 17 where the teams would be staying. Dickason, Hugh Morris and Sean Morris would later visit the PCA stadium to review the security arrangements. A final decision of security clearance will be announced in the evening tomorrow. After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the England team had returned home and expressed security concerns for the two-Test series. The first Test will be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from December 11. Dickason had already visited Chennai and was satisfied with the security arrangements there following which the England team agreed to play the openeing Test as scheduled. Meanwhile, PCA president Bindra said, ''as per the direction of the ECB security adviser, the Chandigarh Police will provide security to the teams and officials from the Chandigarh Airport to Hotel Taj and upto the Mohali Stadium.''
''The Punjab Police will provide security to the players and officials in Mohali. As usual the PCA is also hiring the service of a private security agency,'' he added. Bindra said the PCA had completed all arrangements for smoothly conducting the second Test. As soon as the green signal on security is given by the ECB officials, the PCA will soon fix the prices of tickets and would place the printing order of tickets.
Published by HT Syndication with permission from UNI.
