If you recall the cricket news post the Mumbai terror attacks, the English cricket team headed back home after five ODIs; without playing the full complement of 7 ODIs. It was a sad day for international cricket that there was such a hurdle placed in the way of the sport. The English team however, as a gesture of brave good will came back to India to play the tests as per schedule and their faith was rewarded by kind of excellent security arrangements that would surely have put the mind of the players of both teams at rest.

Reg Dickason security expert of the English Cricket Board (ECB) was reported in the cricket news as having flown down to Chennai for a security assessment ahead of English team’s arrival and was much reassured by what he saw. The concept of security for cricket games and players used to be the usual lathi wielding pot bellied policemen; now it had changed to multiple layer security with NSG commandos with AK-47 assault rifles, sophisticated surveillance cameras, et el.

According to a senior police official in Chennai the very concept of security changed. “The Mumbai terror strike has changed our concept of security. Be it the security for installations or for VVIPs. In the Chennai test, we put in all our efforts and men to prevent any untoward incident and to prove a point that we are second to none in providing high-end security,” he said and henceforth this will be the model to be followed at other match fixture venues as well.

Reportedly there were five deputy commissioners, three assistant deputy commissioners, 25 assistant commissioners, 80 inspectors, 170 sub inspectors and 600 policemen in other ranks from city police, 75 armed reserve police personnel and 80 commandos from swift action group of city police and Tamil Nadu commando force  and CRPF commandos deployed at the MAC Stadium in Chennai.

The security arrangements at the hotel were also stepped up.  Whether the cricketers liked it or not, their movements were also curtailed. There were no leisurely afternoons at the cricket field, late night parties and autograph sessions. The spectators also had to pay the price with the tight security.

The players’ bus routes also kept changing daily and while at the time the arrangements may have looked a bit over the top at the time, the Lahore attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team showed that perhaps they were not; and that the Pak security personnel may have done well to heed them!

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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