LONDON (Reuters)
England's Test cricketers will hold informal discussions to discuss their security concerns over next month's tour of India.

Allrounder Craig White has already expressed his opposition to the tour because of India's proximity to Afghanistan, and captain Nasser Hussain has said he will not force players to travel.

The British Foreign Office has advised British nationals to keep a low profile in India after the US-led bombings of Afghanistan, following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Batsman Michael Vaughan told BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday that the team would meet on Monday night before a Foreign Office briefing at Lord's on Tuesday. The British High Commissioner in New Delhi, Rob Young, will also attend Tuesday's meeting.

"I'm obviously a bit concerned about travelling at this stage," Vaughan said. "We meet on Monday night and there will be a bit of discussion."

Vaughan's Yorkshire team-mate White told BBC Online that travelling to India was too big a risk. "The situation is that if there's going to be retaliation, there's no way they can guarantee our safety, so why risk it?," White said. "Maybe if I was 23 without a family ... but I have got a wife and two kids and they don't want me to go."

Hussain, who was born in Madras, said he had still to decide whether or not to tour. "It's not just players who are going," he said. "There's physios and other officials, everyone's going to have to make the decision with the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board]."

Hussain referred to the six players with English Premiership club Chelsea, who refused to travel to Israel this week. "That's a personal safety decision everyone's going to have to take," he said.

Last week the International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledged the uncertainty facing international cricket when it approved the use of neutral venues for countries unable to stage home series.

New Zealand and Sri Lanka have cancelled tours of Pakistan, and West Indies have delayed a decision on their tour early next year.

The ICC has also set a minimum penalty of $2million for countries who refuse to carry out their tour obligations, a decision which will concentrate the minds of ECB officials. They will also have to consider the possibility of India cancelling a four-Test tour of England next year in retaliation if they decide not to visit the subcontinent.

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