Date-stamped : 26 Jan1998 - 02:27
25 Jan 1998

Disruption to tour likely after bomb blast 

William Turrell

A bomb in Kandy, Sri Lanka, at one of the most holy Buddhist 
shrines,  has put the  remainder of  the England 'A' tour of 
the country in jeopardy.  11 people were killed by the blast 
on Sunday morning  - and the prospect  of further attacks is 
seen as  a serious  threat to  the safety  of the players on 
tour. 

The England 'A' tour managers  (Graham Gooch & Mike Gatting) 
have both  been in contact with the  British High Commission 
and the England & Wales Cricket Board. Speaking on BBC Radio, 
Gooch  said  his  aim  was  to  "lessen  the risk as much as 
possible". 

The 2nd Test match,  which is due to take place in two weeks 
time, is actually scheduled to be played in Kandy, at exactly 
the  same  time  as the  Independence Celebrations. It  seems 
inevitable  that  the  second  Test  will have to be moved to 
another   venue  or   possibly  even  cancelled,  though  the 
authorities  have  stressed  this  will  be  a  last  resort. 

In addition, in order for the England team to reach the venue 
of the  First Test,  they will have to travel through some of 
the most violent areas  (there have  been several  threats of 
'suicide bombing' over the last few days). 

<END> Contributed by William.Turrell (william@cricinfo.com)