Clark concerned at bomb blasts

Australia's players are concerned about the recent bombings in Delhi, where the third Test will be held, according to the fast bowler Stuart Clark. The tour is at this stage going ahead as planned, although the team's travelling security consultant Frank Dimasi will not make a final recommendation on whether the squad should play in Delhi until closer to the match.

But Rajiv Shukla, the chairman of BCCI's finance committee, who met the home ministry officials in Delhi to discuss the security issue, said the tour was on and there was no change in the venue or the schedule. "We are satisfied by the security arrangement provided by the government," Shukla said. "They have committed full co-operation to us."

The latest attack came on Saturday when a low-grade bomb went off in a crowded marketplace, killing three people. That blast came a fortnight after a series of five synchronised bomb attacks which killed at least 30 people around Delhi.

"It is pretty fresh in everyone's mind at the moment," Clark said on the Sydney radio station 2KY. "We are still hanging out and waiting to see what will happen.

"But there is some sort of concern that we are going to somewhere where an explosion has just been. I would be lying if I said there wasn't concern and that we are going to Delhi and there is that sort of thing going on."

After spending a week in Jaipur the Australians have arrived in Hyderabad, where they will have their most testing hit-out to date with a first-class tour match. The Test series begins in Bangalore and then moves on to Mohali, before the third Test starts in Delhi on October 29.

The Melbourne-based Age reported that the squad is receiving regular updates from Dimasi, the security consultant who is travelling with the group and who has prepared a report for Cricket Australia. Peter Young, the Cricket Australia spokesman, said that following a briefing from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, it was decided that no further restrictions would be placed on the players' movements for the time being.

"The protocols haven't changed," Young told the Australian. "They're doing things like avoiding major markets and avoiding religious gatherings on public holidays. The sorts of things that tourists are advised to avoid as well."

Australia are not only supposed to be in Delhi for the Test, but also for a week beforehand as they enjoy an eight-day break between games. One of the men they will be facing in the Test series, Sachin Tendulkar, said the recent bombings were not a major concern for India's players.

"I don't think it bothers us," Tendulkar said. "We are confident nothing bad will happen. This is our homeland. In our homeland I don't think anyone can harm us. We should be free to move wherever and whenever we want."