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15-member Australian squad arrives

CRICKET / The Ponting-led team to play a two-day practice match in Jaipur

— PHOTO: AFP

WELCOME SKIPPER: Australian captain Ricky Ponting is escorted by security officials on arrival at the Sanganer Airport in Jaipur on Monday.

Jaipur: The Australian cricket team, led by Ricky Ponting, arrived here on Monday to play a two-day practice match against Rajasthan Cricket Association’s Centre of Excellence team, prior to the four-Test series commencing in Bangalore on October 9.

The 15-member squad, which was received by RCA officials at Sanganer Airport, was immediately taken to the team hotel amidst tight security.

The visitor, accompanied by former India coach Greg Chappell, is scheduled to hold practice sessions for three days before the warm-up game, starting on September 27.

The cricketers would leave for Hyderabad on September 29, where they will play a four-day practice match against TBC.

“We have arranged all facilities for the visiting team. Wickets are of different nature, including variable bounce and spinning tracks, have been prepared for them,” Bimal Soni, deputy president of RCA said.

Earlier the team arrived in Mumbai in the afternoon at the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport and then proceeded straightaway to Jaipur to commence its preparations.

The squad, which advanced its arrival by a week following the cancellation of the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, is to commence the official part of the tour on September 29 once it reaches Hyderabad, according to the Cricket Board.

The squad did not come out of the international terminal on arrival via Dubai and went to the domestic terminal to board the flight to Jaipur.

‘Blasts justify pull-out’

Ponting shudders to think what might have happened had his team been in Pakistan and said Saturday’s blasts in Islamabad had justified his country’s decision of opting out of the Champions Trophy, which was eventually postponed.

The Champions Trophy was scheduled to be held in Pakistan from September 12-28 but was postponed after a number of countries, including Australia and South Africa raised security doubts and Saturday’s suicide attack only confirmed the worst.

“It’s devastating for the people involved,” he said adding “I mean, we’d be talking hypothetically, of us being in the hotel or England or South Africa being in the hotel,” Ponting was quoted as saying in The Age in Melbourne prior to the team’s departure for the four-match Test series against India.

Ponting felt they did the right thing by acting on the advice of Australia’s security experts and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“I think what we’ve done is right, we just have to listen to the advice from the experts and our Department of Foreign Affairs, and security advice.

“Though they have not been happy for us to tour Pakistan, so obviously nothing has changed right now, with the tournament,” he said.

“It is an absolute shame that things like this continue to happen in Pakistan because, believe it or not, as players, you want to play in all the conditions around the world.”

Security updates

India too came under terrorist attacks recently and Ponting said his team would be given regular security updates during their tour.

The skipper, meanwhile, said leaving behind his seven-week-old daughter Emmy and wife Rhianna last night had been one of the most difficult moments of his life.

“If you take Pakistan out of it and what’s happened there in the last 24 hours, just walking out to the car and shutting the door was really one of the hardest things I had to do,” Ponting said.

The squad: Ricky Ponting(captain), Doug Bollinger, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke (vice-captain), Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Simon Katich, Jason Krejza, Bryce McGain, Peter Siddle and Shane Watson. — PTI

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