Flintoff, Harmison may not tour India

Pace bowler Steve Harmison and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff may not return to India with the England squad to play their two-match Test series starting in Ahmedabad from December 11.

''Following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff, and perhaps another bowler in the squad of 15, are expected to pull out in the next two days, citing their children and wives as their prime consideration,'' a report in 'Sunday Telegraph' said.

England cut short their tour of India after trailing 0-5 in the seven-match One-Day series and flew back home in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Mumbai, which left near 200 dead and over 325 injured.

With concern writ large on their faces, captain Kevin Pietersen and his teammates returned home yesterday, and were expected to return to India for the two-match Test series next month after a security assessment gives them the green signal in the next 48 hours.

It will be severe blow for England if Flintoff, who is considered a big threat on Indian conditions and Harmison pull out of the series after their managing director Hugh Morris confirmed that players will not be forced to tour India.

England and Wales Cricket Board will make available by tomorrow a security risk assessment report on returning to India but the newspaper claimed that the report was just a formality and the ECB has already decided on going ahead with the Test series with first match starting in Ahmedabad.

According to another report the ECB were planning to practice in one of the Gulf countries - either Dubai or more probably Abu Dhabi, and then fly directly from there to Ahmedabad for the first Test. They had originally been scheduled to play a three-day warm-up game in Vadodara from Friday, which now looks unlikely.

-- (UNI) -- 30SPD9.xml

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