India safe for IPL, Australians told

AUSTRALIA'S IPL cricketers are set to run the gauntlet and play in the Indian Premier League after an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade delivered a secret briefing to players in Christchurch yesterday. The key piece of information was that DFAT's travel advice was unchanged from last year when Australia visited India without any security issues. Members of the Australian Twenty20 squad who are contracted to Indian franchises attended the 20-minute briefing session. Independent security consultant Reg Dickason and Australian Cricketers' Association boss Paul Marsh were on a telephone hook-up. It is understood the players were told that a recent threat from the al-Qaeda-linked 313 Brigade was not credible. ''As you know, the travel advisory for India hasn't changed in 12 months,'' Cricket Australia general manager Michael Brown said after the meeting. ''The purpose today was to give the players as much information as possible. It's not just the cricketers involved. We've got staff going to the IPL, there's a whole lot of state physios, coaches, state players. ''Our position is just saying, 'Look, this is what we know'. The IPL isn't an issue for us because we don't have an Australian team - but we are privy to a whole lot of information that we get in our normal processes. DFAT said they would be happy to give the players a personal briefing. We said we would take the invitation.'' Australia's other IPL players and staff who are not in New Zealand, including retired stars such as Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, will receive the same information tomorrow. ''The reality is we're living in a world where terrorism is part of our lives,'' Brown said. ''Right up until the day you depart, it can change. Who would have thought about London, who would have thought about Mumbai, Lahore? The reality is you've got to make your decisions based on the best information. ''The advice simply from the government is that the travel advisory for India hasn't changed. It doesn't mean it can't change between now and the start of the tournament. No decisions were made today. It was purely an information session. We want people to make informed decisions.'' The DFAT website warns visitors to India to exercise a high degree of caution, but it has not upgraded its warning since the direct threat from the 313 Brigade - which listed the Hockey World Cup, the IPL and the Commonwealth Games as targets. The Kookaburras had already proceeded to Delhi for the Hockey World Cup after receiving the same advice from DFAT. Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers, said it was regrettable that players were still unclear about security arrangements for the tournament and warned there could still be mass withdrawals. Franchises are refusing to divulge their security plans. ''There are just 13 days before the start of the tournament and security arrangements have still not been agreed,'' he said. ''We would love to tell the players it is OK for them to go … But we can't give that assurance at the moment.'' Source:smh.com.au/