EXPRESSING CONCERN: ICC President Percy Sonn, disappointed over South Africa's withdrawal from tri-series, says sports can help bring in peace in different parts of the world.

Colombo: The International Cricket Council (ICC) president, Percy Sonn, said here on Sunday that he was "deeply disappointed" at South Africa's decision to withdraw from the Unitech tri-nation series. "I am concerned and I have raised my concern," he added.

He said the series would be played at a suitable date as soon as the three boards involved reached an agreement.

Asked a specific question on the report of the agency selected by the ICC to review the upgraded security arrangements in Sri Lanka, he said, "I do not want to pass any judgment on that."

Talking to The Hindu on this specific topic, Brian Murgatroyd, manager, media and communications, ICC, threw light on the process adhered to by the ICC to deal with such issues, which also raised serious questions about the method adopted by the cricketing world's ruling body to cope with situations like these.

Mr. Murgatroyd revealed that in circumstances when the findings of one board are disputed by the other, the ICC steps in.

"We select the security agency from a list that we have, but the bill is footed by the country raising the concern."

Unsafe

Going back to the crisis, the first report on the security situation was sent by the Nicolls and Steyn group, whose officer was travelling with the team.

His findings concluded that the situation in Sri Lanka was unsafe for the players.

The second report was submitted by the Olive group, handpicked by the ICC.

Stunning revelation

In a stunning revelation, Mr. Murgatroyd confirmed what the Colombo IGP, Mr. Chandra Fernando, had told this newspaper — that none from the Olive group had met him after it was, on August 15, decided to have an independent agency reviewing the situation.

Mr. Murgatroyd disclosed, "Much of the testimony (of the Olive Group) was based on the findings of one of its men, who had spent four to six days in Colombo in the week leading up to the blast (On August 14)."

The statement travels right to the heart of the matter — none from the Olive group had actually visited the Sri Lankan capital to assess the upgraded security measures that had been put in place.

There was no way that a realistic first hand account could have been obtained by the security agency concerned — it might have sought inputs from its local contacts in Colombo — unless one of its men or its team actually interacted with the board, the police and the intelligence sources here to obtain a clear picture on the improvements that had been made vis-a-vis safety of the cricketers.

In other words, the second report — though it was prepared from an ICC-chosen agency — was unlikely to differ from the first. Under the circumstances, the Olive group report put together in barely 24 hours, counted for little.

It however bailed South Africa out from a scenario, where it might have had to shell out a hefty fine for withdrawing from the competition. The Olive Group findings had given such a move the ICC stamp.

Mr. Sonn dwelt much on how sports could bridge the gap between two countries, over-ride difficulties. He also spoke about how the English rugby team had travelled to Ireland in the early 70s despite threats from the rebels that the team would be a targetted one. "The England team was extremely popular in Ireland," said Mr. Sonn.

Precedents

He said there were precedents in 2003 in Zimbabwe and Kenya before the World Cup, and in Pakistan, ahead of South Africa's tour, that a security company chosen by the ICC had taken stock of the situation in these countries.

The ICC chief, who hails from South Africa, expected the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India later this year to be a successful event.

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