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Indian cricket board not expecting foreign exodus after explosions

15-05-2008 - 23:20

Indian cricket officials are not expecting foreign players such as Shane Warne to abandon the domestic Twenty20 tournament in the wake of deadly explosions in Jaipur.

More than 60 people were killed in Tuesday's blasts, triggered by bicycles packed with explosives, but the Indian cricket board has decided to go ahead with a match in Jaipur on Saturday.

"As a mark of respect to the victims of the terror attacks, both teams will wear black armbands," Lalit Modi, a vice president of the Indian cricket board, said Thursday.

Australian media reports suggested Warne and Shane Watson and South Africa skipper Graeme Smith, based in Jaipur for the lucrative tournament, were thinking of leaving the country within days.

But Modi said Warne, Watson and Smith were returning to Jaipur from a four-day vacation in Goa and would continue to represent their team.

"All Australian players and the team is going to play in Jaipur tomorrow," Modi told Press Trust of India.

"They were a little perturbed but now they're assured," said Modi, adding that security at the stadium and the team hotel had been increased.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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