Even as the furore over safety in Pakistan during Champions Trophy is yet to calm down, Australia have raised new security concerns about their four-Test tour in India in October after back-to-back serial bomb blasts rocked Bangalore and Ahmedabad last week.
Representatives from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association are due to leave for India on August 10 for the latest inspection, and may now also take a security consultant.
- Schedule: Australia's tour of India
Cricket Australia's general manager of public affairs, Peter Young, discussed the latest bombings with CA chief executive James Sutherland on Sunday as the first Test is scheduled to be played in Bangalore, where nine explosions killed two and injured 12 on Friday night.
A day later, blasts in Ahmedabad killed at least 30 people and injured more than 100.
"We have a principle which supports a consistent process of having a pre-tour inspection and assessment before every tour," Young was quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper.
The newspaper further adds that there have been suggestions from the subcontinent that some cricketers who are now refusing to tour Pakistan stayed in India playing in the Indian Premier League despite the serial blasts in Jaipur.
However, Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) said it is unfair to compare the Jaipur bombing to the situation in Pakistan.
"Pakistan has had 66 suicide bombings within its country over the past 12 months with over 3000 people killed and 17 of those attacks have been in the venues of the Champions Trophy," May said.
"There was no security assessment that there is the likelihood of any further bombs going off in Jaipur."
