After the deadly bomb blast at a music concert in Manchester Arena in England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday called an emergency meeting and wrote to International Cricket Council (ICC) expressing concern over the safety of its national players heading into the Champions Trophy, beginning June 1 at the Oval in England.
The Champions Trophy is set to be held across venues in England and Wales.
According to sources, the ICC has also expressed concerns over the attack in Manchester.
"The ICC is concerned with what has happened in Manchester and will have a conference call later in the day with stake holders joining from various places," the ICC source had said.
Meanwhile, the high-profile clash against Pakistan will also add to BCCI’s worries. India have cut all bilateral ties with Pakistan in recent times due to escalating political tensions and security concerns and the latest explosion will only give rise to more premonitions.
Moreover, the board is more concerned because of the short distance between Manchester and India’s venue for the warm-up games which is London. The defending champions will play New Zealand on May 28 before taking on Bangladesh on May 30 before beginning their title-defence.
The blast took place on Monday night during a pop concert performed by American singer Ariana Grande, in which 22 people were killed and about 59 injured.
The Manchester Police confirmed that a lone male suicide bomber was behind Britain’s worst attack in last 10 years.
Last England saw such a deadly terror attack was in 2005 on July 7, which killed 52 people after terrorists carried out a series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks in central London targeting civilians using the public transport system during the rush hour.
The tournament will see the top eight teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy. The showpiece event will kick-start on June 1 with hosts England taking on Bangladesh while India will begin their campaign against Pakistan on June 4 at Edgbaston.
(ANI Inputs)
