Cricket: Security-conscious NZC may stop IPL players

Jacob Oram is contracted to the Chennai Super Kings. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand Cricket would consider pulling contracted players out of the Indian Premier league next month if security assurances are insufficient.

Allrounder Jacob Oram felt the decision would come down to individual choice but NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said under the terms of the collective contract NZC could insist the seven players stayed home.

Captain Dan Vettori (Delhi Daredevils), Brendon McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders), Jacob Oram (Chennai Super Kings), Kyle Mills (Mumbai Indians), Scott Styris (Deccan Chargers), Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder (Bangalore Royal Challengers) are due to join their franchises after the India tour.

Stephen Fleming, player-coach for Chennai Super Kings, is no longer contracted by NZC.

"We cannot unreasonably prevent players from participating in other competitions but if we could see there was a direct security risk that would not be unreasonable grounds."

Players' Association boss Heath Mills said he was not sure if that reasoning could apply but it would be discussed in the next month.

Vaughan was confident there would be no stand-off. NZC would likely seek security advice to assess any threat in the wake of the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan team last week in which seven policemen were killed, and the attack in Mumbai in November when 170 died.

The federation of players' associations, FICA, was also engaging security advice. Vaughan said it would be more effective coming from a national body because "the BCCI doesn't recognise players' associations".

After Lahore, the Indian Government asked that the IPL be postponed as security forces would be stretched because of the impending general election.

The IPL rejected that proposal.

The BCCI has indicated IPL security will be sufficient but Vaughan said he owed it to his players to "dig a little deeper". On whether that might risk offending the prickly BCCI, Vaughan said it would be acceptable coming from a national board rather than the players' association. "I think they recognise the need for us to be 'over-sure' if you like."

Mills said the BCCI's refusal to work with players' associations was immature and he would insist on comprehensive independent security reports before recommending his members joined their franchises.

"We will not be relying on any security advice that is not independent and comprehensive. It is not good enough to just simply take the assurances from the BCCI or IPL at face value or any assurance they might give Justin," said Mills.

"When it comes to security the BCCI and IPL can no longer suggest they are not going to work with player associations. The international players have every right to have their representatives assess the security around this event as we do in all other situations."

The BCCI no doubt feel they are being unfairly maligned for the failings of Pakistan to provide the necessary security for Sri Lanka and with that in mind, Vaughan said there needed to be recognition that India was a different situation, even after the horrific events in Mumbai last year.

"There is a tendency to lump in the subcontinent together but the reality is Pakistan is very different from India, Sri Lanka is very different, and Bangladesh is very different."

Last year, New Zealand withdrew from touring Pakistan for a one-day series and the Champions Trophy.

At the time, reports suggested threats against cricketers at the Champions Trophy were tangible and real, that the Pakistan Cricket Board's attitude was blase and the security plans lacked co-ordination.

The events of Lahore only bolster that argument.

NZC will call on security consultant Reg Dickason and local provider Chivalry to correlate security findings on Sri Lanka, where New Zealand is due to tour in August and September. The island nation has been riven by civil war since 1983.

New Zealand has been caught up in bombings there twice before and Vaughan said the "sands shift so quickly" in that part of the world that the advice they receive now might be completely redundant in three months time.