Date:28/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112860731800.htm

Sport - Cricket

EPP team too set to pack up

BANGALORE: With the cancellation of rest of ODIs in the India-England series, the England Performance Programme squad, which was training here for the past one week will return home.

The team among others also includes former captain Michael Vaughan, Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett and Andrew Strauss.

The team was scheduled to play a three-day game from November 30 to December 3. Later, it was to proceed to Mumbai and train at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in its second leg of the camp.

Children disappointed

The English players, who were scheduled to interact with intellectually challenged children at a clinic organised by Special Olympics at the IAF grounds here, chose to skip the event much to the disappointment of the children.

Obviously security concerns seemed to be a major factor in the visitors’ ‘no show’. Mr. Ward, however, denied it and said, “it has been raining so hard here. It was not a very conducive weather to be there.

“The players are not apprehensive as they are in safe environment here, but they do feel sad about the tragedy at Mumbai and for all those innocent victims.”