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* In the fitness of thingsThe Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) has finally decidedto ask Indian team’s physiotherapist Andrew Leipus to oversee thefitness tests for players named for the SA tour. This after initiallydeciding to put Sachin Tendulkar’s personal physician, Dr Anant Joshi,in charge of the tests.Dr Joshi and chairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde willboth be in attendance when the players are put through the drills.”Leipus has been sent a mail asking to be present for the fitness teston September 22 afternoon and September 23 morning at the WankhedeStadium,” BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar informedcricketnext.com on Thursday.The previous decision of the Board to let Dr Joshi run the show haddrawn a lot of flak from journalists around the country. With Leipuson board, at least all controversies will now be put to bed.* Waiting to be heardThe wheels of justice grind slowly. That is a truism in India even ifthe petitioner in question were to answer to the name of MohammadAzharuddin. The hearing of the former India captain’s petition challenging thelife ban imposed by the BCCI has now been adjourned to September 20.Second additional chief judge of the Hyderabad civil court J ShyamSunder Rao adjourned further hearings as the Andhra High Court’sinterim stay on further proceedings issued on July 18 was stillapplicable. The BCCI moved the High Court after Justice Rao refused toallow them more time to file a written statement on the match-fixingscandal.

It wasn’t Wednesday and Walcott, Worrell and Weekes were not immediately in sight. But this was a day for the ‘W’s at the Sydney Cricket Ground nonetheless, as Damien Wright and Shane Watson combined to overcome the impact of a magnificent Mark Waugh innings and propel Tasmania to a tense 15-run first innings win.Admittedly, paceman David Saker’s impact was also particularly significant.But, in the midst of an action-packed six hours of cricket, the third day of this Pura Cup match between New South Wales and Tasmania will probably be best remembered for what happened at 3:47pm.For it was at that moment that Waugh, Wright and Watson were enjoined in the passage of play that all but settled a gripping battle for the first points of the two teams’ seasons.Waugh (168), endeavouring to plot New South Wales’ course to the two points from the ruin of a mid-innings collapse, lashed fiercely at a Watson (3/88) leg cutter. Wright, at gully, worked hard and low to his left; flung an outstretched hand at a rapidly travelling ball and conceived a truly magnificent catch.Suddenly at 9/462 as it chased Tasmania’s 504, New South Wales was all but out of a contest that Waugh and fellow centurion Michael Bevan (102) had helped to ignite with a pair of superb innings.”He was just going so well that I suppose we needed something really big to happen to get him out,” said Wright of his remarkable interception.”I was just thrilled; he hit it pretty well and the next minute it was literally in my hands!”To come here in the first match of the year and take two points off these guys is great; we’re really really happy with that. It’s a brilliant start.”Though Jamie Cox, Dene Hills, Ricky Ponting and Bevan had all notched hundreds before him, Waugh ventured to – and beyond – the landmark with an aplomb that made his the best century of this match.He was at his artful and elegant best, showing no ill effects from the finger injury he suffered two days ago and hitting the ball with a majesty that verged on the sublime. Classical drives, especially through the covers, were matched by cuts and leg glances of the highest quality.Importantly, he also fashioned hope for his team where little had seemed to exist through the preceding two days of this match. With Bevan, he crafted a stand of 81 for the third wicket; he added another 113 for the fourth with Mark Higgs (37); and then led the way in further unlikely stands of 71 and 31 with tailenders Stuart MacGill (34) and Stuart Clark (31*) respectively.”I don’t think I’ve been in better nick,” Waugh said at the end of play.”I was happy with the innings and happy with how I hit the ball. Just a bit disappointed not to get us over the line for two points.”Ultimately, it was Wright’s catch and a disastrous mini-collapse which saw four wickets tumble for the addition of only 20 runs in mid-afternoon which scuttled the chase.Higgs, Shane Lee (17), Brad Haddin (0) and Don Nash (0) departed in what amounted to little more than the batting of an eyelid as Saker (4/115) and Watson combined to suddenly extract life from a generally benign pitch.MacGill then frustrated the visitors for 43 minutes by hitting out agriculturally – and surviving twice as he offered catches to Cox at third slip off Watson – and Clark also helped to narrow the margin between the teams. Ultimately, though, it was not enough.Tasmania had reached 0/30 in its second innings by stumps, ensuring that it will now take an overall lead of 45 runs into the final day.But it appears that the match might now be as good as over anyway, given that either team’s prospects of claiming wickets in quick succession over the closing six hours shape as remote.Which is a shame in a number of ways. Because, more than once over three days of high quality cricket, this game has crystallized what it is that is good about the domestic game in Australia.

Canadian cricket faces huge challenges. Not only is Canada going to the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January 2002 but we are currently establishing a programme of fitness and activities to allow our Senior Team to participate credibly in the World Cup in 2003 in South Africa. Of critical importance is competition and competition against top class opposition.Bob Woolmer, ICC High Performance Consultant concludes his inaugural visit with a media scrum at 11:30 am in Room 6A at the National Sports Alliance building in Toronto. Located at 1185 Eglinton Ave E (Don Mills and Eglinton). ICC Americas Development Manager, Robert Weekes will be in attendance. Further information can be obtained by calling 416 426 7312 or by fax on 416 426 7172.Bob has had several days of meetings with local players, administrators, fundraisers, volunteers and fitness specialists. Player’s needs, equipment, tours and training in the build up to the WC 2003 have been addressed. Specialist training and coaching as well as camps and academy visits are planned.Facilities, management and coaching have been all discussed. Not only must Canada participate, we must ensure that we qualify for the much-delayed ODI status. On field play is only one aspect of that qualification.U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19 building blocks must be in place. Of even greater importance is expanding the base of schools playing cricket with more trained coaches and officials.Without this base, Canada’s progress can be slowed.ODI status by 2003/2004 is a target. A second target is Full Member status following Bangladesh and Kenya. Can we meet these challenges? Yes we can. We must have turf wickets in major centres across Canada and trained local expertise in all areas of the game. Budgetary requirements must be met and the CCA Executive has approved a Fundraising drive and Committee to lead that drive.We thank the ICC Full and Associate members for the past support. We shall need the continued support by Full Members like India and Pakistan playing games in Canada!Cricket Canada – let it grow. Get on board.

Most of us in India watch cricket because we want to see India win. Weconstantly live in hope and find cheer in the smallest achievements ofour men, rare as they are. Over the years, we have, however, come tonot expect Indian victories and are quite willing to be satisfied withhonourable defeats. Unfortunately, we are denied even these smallmercies most of the time.

Equally depressing in international cricket are some other trends,which are not of India’s doing. I refer to the number of bowlers withsuspect actions dotting the scene and the irrational, even ethicallyunsustainable, stands sometimes taken by their respective cricketboards. The Pakistan Cricket Board has, for instance, announced thatit will support paceman Shoaib Akhtar if he challenges, in a court oflaw, the recent International Cricket Council decision to review thelegality of his bowling action. PCB officials have been reported asattributing any seeming abnormality in Akhtar’s action to a congenitalphysical idiosyncrasy. This is carrying a tired excuse to extremes,and the very idea that a member body can go to court against theparent is quite preposterous.Most knowledgeable cricket viewers have serious doubts about thepropriety of the bowling actions of a number of bowlers whom they havebeen watching closely over the years. I have heard many of them,including Test umpires, voice strong opinions on the subject, althoughtheir public utterances may often be more politically correct. Much asI admire the extraordinary qualities of head and heart of Sri Lankanoff-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, I have strong reservations about thelegality of his bowling action, an opinion echoed by many aninternational cricketer, at least in private conversations.Increasingly, much of the debate among some of these expert spectatorsat Test matches tends to centre around the minor chucking epidemicthat seems to have swept international cricket. Doubts are frequentlyexpressed especially about the wrong ‘uns sent down by bowlers likeHarbhajan Singh and even Saqlain Mushtaq, the faster deliveries ofShahid Afridi, not to mention the express deliveries of Shoaib Akhtarand Brett Lee. Long experience suggests that what the naked eye of theexperienced cricketer sees is seldom proved wrong by technology.My own view on efforts by captains and cricket boards to defend thesuspect actions of their bowlers for emotional or patriotic reasonshas always been that it is just not cricket. It is an extremelydisappointing scenario that allows an Arjuna Ranatunga or a PCB tomake an international issue of what should remain a strictlycricketing problem of a technical nature, and subsequently takes awaythe powers of umpires on the field to rule on unfair bowling actions.Just as sadly, numerous cricket commentators of immense knowledge andexperience have supported such essentially political moves, forsakingthe time-honoured values of cricket. It is difficult to escape theconclusion that they are part of the gigantic promotional machinery ofthe cricket bandwagon that wants to perpetuate icons who sell, even ifthey are flawed.

New Zealand has picked players to succeed for the Bangladesh series and they have been advised it would be unwise to under-perform.Announcing the side for the first Test in Hamilton starting on Tuesday, Sir Richard Hadlee, the selection chairman, said it had been five years and 40 Test matches since New Zealand had fielded the same team in successive Tests.That there were no changes was a reward for the third Test performance against Australia in Perth, and for the Australian tour overall, Hadlee said.”We’ve picked the players to succeed and we want them to win convincingly,” he said.Hadlee said the selection of Mathew Sinclair, the one batsman in the side who has struggled for his best touch recently, had not taken much debate at all.He averaged 52 in New Zealand conditions and deserved the chance, Hadlee said.Sinclair had been advised he was under pressure and Hadlee said the side had been picked for the first Test only.As far as the bowlers were concerned Hadlee said they would find the conditions in New Zealand much more suitable than those they had struck in Australia.”In Australian conditions the margin of error is very small. Here there is more in, and off, the track,” he said.It would be up to captain Stephen Fleming and coach Denis Aberhart to decide who would be given the new ball but it was certain that Shane Bond would be at one end with it and it would be between Chris Cairns and Chris Martin who supported him.Whatever else happened, Hadlee said standards set in Australia must be maintained and progress must continue to be made.If Bangladesh was able to play well and put New Zealand under real pressure that would be ideal.On the issue of Lou Vincent opening the batting instead of a specialist, such as Auckland’s Matt Horne, who scored his second century of the summer today against Bangladesh, he said that Horne had made a lot of progress over the last 12 months.He had some personal problems and had to rebuild his career and he offered another choice and option for the selectors.There was more depth in the pace bowling department available to the selectors with 10 or 12 players now vying for positions in the side but there was still no obvious second spinner sorting himself out from the crowd.Aberhart said the intention in Australia had been to be competitive, to learn and to move forward and that would continue against Bangladesh with the players looking to show more confidence as a result of the improvements they had achieved.He said that left-arm fast-medium bowler Shayne O’Connor had an MRI scan last night and New Zealand Cricket’s medical personnel were still assessing the findings but it did not look good for O’Connor in the short term.”They [the medical specialists] were not willing to commit on when he might be playing again,” Aberhart said.Dion Nash was the other player not considered for the side.Of the decision to choose a 12th man so far out from the Test, Hadlee said: “Chris Drum is in excellent form. He bowled well in the final match of the Australian tour taking a five-wicket bag and had a psychological edge over Bangladesh after claiming four for 32 for Auckland yesterday.”We have told Chris that, barring an unexpected injury, he will be 12th man but we know that having him waiting in the wings will keep pressure on the other seamers to perform at the highest levels,” he said.

Where in the world is there a museum where you can watch a Test match?At the National Cricket Museum at the Basin Reserve in Wellington you can. And big plans are about to be realised to make New Zealand’s only cricket museum an up to date interactive experience.The chairman of the Board of Trustees, Don Neely sees the institution, which was opened on November 29, 1987, “developing into quite a sizeable museum.”Neely said: “It will never match the MCG, or be as steeped in history as Lord’s, but we have a mission statement to look after everything. We archive and preserve everything. It’s all tissue paper and waxed boxes. After all, we only get one chance.”Under the old Grandstand lies acres of unused space that the $220,000 needed for the expansion will develop before England play in the Test in March.Many years ago New Zealand Cricket Almanack Editor Arthur Carman showed Neely, then Wellington captain around the dungeons, of the 1920s building, which had fallen largely out of use even then.”Water was up to here,” Neely recalled, pointing to his knees. “Wisdens were floating, ruined.”This is why I will never leave anything to Wellington cricket,” said Carman, whose memory is perpetuated with the Arthur Carman Press Box at the ground.It has all changed now at the Museum. Curator Stan Cowman, archivist Donal Duthie, enthusiast Adrienne Simpson, and many more volunteers have struggled for years to keep the under-funded house of treasures afloat.In the last 10 years alone 285 boxes and suitcases of artefacts, including John Reid’s entire collection of albums, clothes and trophies have been catalogued, preserved and displayed when space allows.Now the money required to make a large safe storage area, a theatrette, an interactive room and a display of cricket clothing in the old function rooms beneath the long-abandoned marble staircase that visiting dignitaries were guided up to the best seats before the war.In the style of those pre-war days Martin Donnelly’s book collection will be displayed in the style of an English gentleman’s library, alongside the museum’s own collection of volumes.And that’s just the start. In a city that boasts Te Papa, the main drive of the National Cricket Museum will be similar to that great attraction – for educational purposes. Computer terminals designed for school groups to research recent events in cricket history.”Too many museums round the world stop in 1949.” Neely is referring to Bowral, where the Bradman Museum halts after the Don retired.”What happened here two years ago when [Mathew] Sinclair got his 214 on debut – that’s history. CricInfo is writing history everyday,” says Neely, author of Men in White, the history of international cricket in New Zealand.Work started before the Boxing Day Bangladesh Test. It will be unveiled in front of an audience of well-known players and the international media during the England Test.

Ashley Giles is not the sort of person who is afraid to stick his head above the parapet. When a youngster on the books of his native Surrey, he decided to change from being a left-arm seamer to become a left-arm spinner. Surrey did not want him to make the change. He was adamant, and moved to Warwickshire.For a young lad trying to make his way in the game, such a move showed courage and character. He has had one or two such tests of his mettle along the way. As a rookie international cricketer, he bowled an early spell of 2-0-19-0 in front of a baying crowd in Sydney in a one-day international.As Australia closed in on England’s total, Giles was brought back at the death. It could conceivably have marked the end of his international career, but he held his nerve, bowled the dangerous Greg Blewett who was on a one-man charge to victory, and England won by a mere seven runs.Giles enjoyed a winter on the sub-continent in 2000-2001, where he established himself as the country’s premier spinner in Test cricket as well as one-day internationals, and he was set for a successful summer when injury struck him down. A bulky man, he was let down by his Achilles and his international appearances were limited to one, at Edgbaston against Australia where he was patently unfit.After surgery, he was still by no means match-fit when he joined the England party in India before Christmas. However, he bowled himself back to fitness by taking five for 67 from 43.3 overs in the first innings at Ahmedabad. Having proved his fitness, he then faced another mental battle in Bangalore.Nasser Hussain, his captain, asked him to bowl left-arm over the wicket into the bowlers’ footmarks, first to contain and then to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar. It was a tactic that attracted much criticism, but it worked. Doubters – and there were plenty – need only look in the book, as the saying goes. “Tendulkar, stumped Foster, bowled Giles.” It was the first time Tendulkar had ever been dismissed in such a fashion in Test cricket.Mind you, one-day internationals will call for a different approach. For one thing, such a line of delivery would bring a host of the wide calls that might have occurred in Bangalore. For another, Giles rather thinks that Tendulkar might be gunning for him.”The one-day series will be a totally different thing to the Test series and I’ll have to be prepared for him coming at me because I think he will,”conceded Giles.”After that series when I bowled over the wicket a lot to him, I think he may just have a bit of a dart at me and if it goes my way, it goes my way, and if it doesn’t then so be it.”I’m not daunted by the prospect, I see it as a fantastic challenge for me and it’s one I’m really looking forward to. I know the sort of spinners he’s played against and how well he’s played them.”I would never say I’m one of the best spinners in the world, but to get him like that gives me such a nice feeling. His wicket was one that I wanted and it was a wicket I will always cherish – I’ll do well to get a better wicket than that.”Furthermore, Giles is looking forward to tomorrow as an occasion, with up to 100,000 people in the ground, not many of them hoping to see him succeed.”Playing at Eden Gardens should be fantastic,” he admitted. “You may never play in front of 100,000 people again and it’s an experience you should enjoy.”It’s something I’m sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life so I’m really looking forward to it – it’s something I’m going to savour.”Recalling the time he bowled at the death against the Australians, he said, “I played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of 38,000 a few years ago which was fantastic, but this will be totally different and I can’t even imagine what 100,000 people in a cricket ground will look like!”He is about to find out.

It could be said that the main business of one-day cricket is to produce an exciting finish. This was a classic of its kind by that reckoning as the pendulum of fortune swung first one way and then the other. The teams, and individual players, alternated between ecstasy and despondency and back again as England kept alive their hopes of squaring the series, winning by a mere two runs. That bald statistic, however, conceals a wealth of drama.Put in after a delayed start on a misty Delhi morning, England appeared to have opted for an entirely different strategy in their innings. The openers did not throw everything into a heady pursuit – some might say reckless pursuit – of a large total.The Indian attack allowed few liberties to be taken and, unlike other starts from both sides in the series, Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick could not take the rate much above four an over. The total stood at 51 in the 12th over when Trescothick drove Ajit Agarkar in the air towards mid-off where Sarandeep Singh, making his debut, just clasped the catch as it died on him.Nasser Hussain announced himself with a majestic cover drive for a boundary. Although he did not appear totally at ease – he was breathing heavily throughout his innings – he stuck to the task in company with Knight as the pair registered the first century partnership for England in the series.Sachin Tendulkar had been brought into the attack to take the pace off the ball and, not only did he achieve that objective, he also took the wicket of the England captain. A shortish ball out side the off stump saw Hussain playing a favourite dab and Ajay Ratra took a smart catch with Hussain one short of his fifty.Andrew Flintoff waited for his second ball before clubbing it to the cover boundary and, unlike other times on the tour, went on to build an innings. And a rollicking knock it was. He took 13 off a Tendulkar over to see him out of the attack, and the same off Javagal Srinath when he came back to the bowling crease.Knight had not been his usual cavalier self, even if his steady innings was priceless for England, and he reached his hundred from 126 balls with seven fours. He was run out shortly afterwards thanks to a moment’s hesitation and slick fielding between Agarkar and Srinath. The partnership with Flintoff had produced 80 runs in ten overs as the pace picked up to the required level.Flintoff reached his fifty from just 36 balls with six fours and a six. He did not last for long after that, being caught at long-off, but he had been at his destructive best to lift England to what was considered to be about a par score in the conditions. The closeness of the finish confirmed that assessment.India got off to a flyer. Andrew Caddick had been out of international cricket for some time and must have wondered if he should have bothered to return as the first ball of the innings crashed into the extra-cover boundary via the middle of Virender Sehwag’s bat. With another of the same, ten runs came from the first wayward over.Knight put down a difficult chance off Flintoff at slip when Sehwag edged in the second over, before the batsman picked up another boundary. The first three overs produced 26 and by the end of the fourth the total stood at 32. And the batsmen were not even slogging.Tendulkar had been the quieter of the two and he was first to go. He fenced at a lifting ball outside the off stump from Caddick for James Foster to take the catch. Sehwag responded to the fall of his partner by bludgeoning 14 from the next over.At this point, England began to rein the batsmen in. Caddick produced the first maiden of the match, and then he and his old mate Darren Gough each conceded a single run off the next two overs. Sourav Ganguly took 13 balls to get off the mark, which he did with a straight four off Gough.The Indian captain should have been out when he had 14. Michael Vaughan had been doing a splendid job as a spinner, luring Ganguly down the pitch, beating him, only to see Foster fluff the take. Although the wicket-keeper got the ball back onto the stumps, the third umpire reckoned Ganguly had grounded his bat. Confidence in that official, however, had evaporated when he gave Flintoff not out in similar circumstances with his foot clearly not grounded.Foster did take a regulation catch to dismiss Dinesh Mongia off Flintoff to reduce India to 100 for 3 in the 22nd over, but he could do nothing but watch as Ganguly lifted his side right back into contention. He and Mohammad Kaif brought up the century partnership in 95 balls.Kaif was impressive but not chanceless. Foster put down a dab outside the off stump when Kaif got a face of the bat onto the ball. Vaughan failed to get a hand onto a simple chance despite moving well within reach in the covers. It looked as if those errors would cost England the game, but there were a few more twists to come.The pair had put on 111 in 19 overs when Ganguly lifted Ashley Giles to long-off. Giles had retired from the attack with figures of 4-0-32-0, but he returned now in spectacular fashion with five wickets in six overs.Kaif followed his captain two balls later after chipping into the covers. Giles accepted a caught and bowled from Hemang Badani. Foster, to his evident relief, found that he could still effect a stumping to dismiss Ratra, and then Giles bowled Anil Kumble. India 239 for 8 in the 47th over. Game over? Not a chance!Agarkar is dangerous with a short boundary. Sarandeep offered staunch support. Agarkar was particularly effective, hitting the ball cleanly to the boundary four times in his stay of 24 balls that left him undefeated on 36.They gnawed away at the total and England’s nerves so that nine were needed off the last over to be bowled by Gough. Summoning up all the experience of one hundred such matches, Gough delivered a dot followed by four singles. Five runs were needed off the last ball – it was no time to overstep or go wide – but the courageous Agarkar could manage no more than a couple. England had won by the narrowest of margins to set up a grand finale in Mumbai on Sunday.

The Queensland selectors have today named Stuart Law and Michael Kasprowicz in the XXXX Queensland Bulls team to contest Sunday’s ING Cup Final against the NSW Blues at the Gabba.Both players passed fitness tests this morning at training, with the team captaincy reverting to Law following his selection.Law batted for the second day in a row in the nets and then had a one-on-one fielding workout under the scrutiny of Chairman of Selectors Andrew Courtice.Following a discussion with coach Bennett King, he was given the green light to return from the fractured knuckle on his little finger that he sustained during the Bulls’ Pura Cup loss to South Australia three weeks ago.Kasprowicz also bowled solidly in the nets for the second session in as many days to satisfy Courtice of his recovery from a hamstring strain.Law’s inclusion sees left-hander Brendan Nash miss out of the squad while Kasprowicz’s availability meant the selectors did not consider rookie left-armer Scott Brant for the game, although the teenage paceman will be available for the Pura Cup match against NSW in Sydney next week.Pace bowler Ashley Noffke has not trained with the team this week after suffering the flu but is expected to join them on Saturday for the final”top-up” session from 9am at the Gabba.NSW today named a 13-man squad for the Final, with right-hand batsman Matthew Phelps coming in for Graeme Rummans and pace bowler Don Nash added. Former Queensland one-day spinner Dale Turner has also won a spot in the squad.XXXX QUEENSLAND BULLS v NSW Blues, ING Cup Final, Sunday, the Gabba.(9amstart): Jimmy Maher, Martin Love, Stuart Law (c), Andrew Symonds,Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, AshleyNoffke, Nathan Hauritz, Michael Kasprowicz, Joe Dawes (all 12 to play).NSW Blues: Shane Lee (captain), Brad Haddin, Matthew Phelps, CoreyRichards, Michael Bevan, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Dominic Thornely,Shawn Bradstreet, Don Nash, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Dale Turner(one to be omitted).Sunday’s Final will start at 9am with gates opening at 8am.Tickets will cost $14 for adults, $8 for children u/16 and pensionerswhile there will be a $28 family ticket (2 adults, 2 children). Ticketsare on sale through Ticketmaster7 on 1300 136 122, their websitewww.ticketmaster7.com.au or through Ticketmaster7 outlets.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will monitor events in Guyana on a daily basis before making any decision on the first Cable & Wireless Test between West Indies and Australia.In response to concerns by the Australia Cricket Board (ACB) over the increased crime and violence in the South American country in recent weeks, WICB president Wes Hall said the board would be considering input from its two Guyana directors ahead of the April 10 to 14 Test at Bourda."We just don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch. The WICB will look at it realistically," Hall said. "We have board members in Guyana who will apprise us of the situation. When that happens, we will deal with it."We don’t know what is going to happen from day to day. We have able administrators in Guyana and they will let us know what the position is."In a letter faxed to the WICB on January 13, ACB international cricket manager Richard Watson said his board was seeking guidance on the "reported deterioration in the security situation in and around Georgetown, which is of high concern to the ACB".The letter has been passed to Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj.When asked if the WICB would be prepared to switch the venue of the match if the ACB’s concerns remained, Hall said: "It’s not a matter of being prepared to switch matches."What we will do is try and have a helicopter view of the situation. We will look and see what is happening. We will not be party to exposing anybody to violence."Hall, who is also chairman of the International Cricket Council’s steering group for safety, said the issue of violence and security was of paramount importance to the game’s governing body."I am very cognisant of the fact that violence is not necessarily gunplay and the things they are talking about," he said. "It is also inside the cricket ground. We have been looking at many areas where we can minimise any disturbances."Violence and security are buzzwords in world cricket. I am not minimising the whole aspect of violence, but as we look around in that corridor in Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe and Kenya, we’ve had some violence. It is very important that you look at security."