Date:23/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/23/stories/2008072352532000.htm

Sport - Cricket

Safety first, says Hayden

Melbourne: The lure of adding more silverware to his cabinet by winning the Champions Trophy could spur Australian opener Matthew Hayden into saying yes to travelling to Pakistan but only if his safety is assured there.

“We’re on the eve of competing in what’s known as the second World Cup. We don’t want to walk away. It’s certainly one that I want to be involved in if it means that my safety is not compromised,” Hayden was quoted as saying by ‘Sydney Morning Herald’.

Hayden, who wasn’t part of the 2006 edition of the tournament in India which Australia won, said he would make his decision based on security briefings by Cricket Australia.

Captain Ricky Ponting had indicated last month that some of his players were uneasy to tour Pakistan because of the security situation there. — PTI