South Africa cricket team reassured of increased security in England following Manchester terror attack

The South Africa cricket team has been sufficiently reassured regarding their security following the terrorist attack that took place in Manchester. Mohammed Moosajee, the South African team manager said that the team was rather concerned because South Africa will spend three months in England on the tour.

In particular, South Africa are scheduled to play a Test match against England in Manchester. The team is due to stay at a hotel which is in the vicinity of the Manchester Arena – the area where the bombing took place on Monday night. However, following the guarantees they were given, team South Africa was satisfied and reassured.

“The players are uneasy. There was a lot of chatter at the breakfast table and I’m happy to say we’ve had constant communication from the ECB and the security manager. There have been some reassurances and guarantees put in place that the security arrangements will be supplemented, starting today. We’ve been told there will be more visible policing at the stadiums, at practice sessions as well as the hotels that we will reside at,” Moosajee said.

“The hotel we will stay at when we are in Manchester for the last Test match is walking distance away from where the events unfolded so there have been some genuine concerns and I think the process has started to make sure the players are reassured that arrangements are being made to try and keep them safe,” he added.

ECB promises a security liaison

The ECB has promised a full-time security liaison officer for the team who will be with them for the entire duration of the tour. Moreover, the South African team has their own security team travelling with them as well. However, Moosajee mentioned that this is a regular feature for all teams.

“Most teams travel with their own security team. There are guys that travel ahead and do their own recces and intelligence. We are comfortable with the advice we get from our security team,” he said.

The ICC has already put out a statement regarding the security in London, Birmingham and Cardiff, the three venues for the Champions Trophy, which will be held from June 1-18. The ODI series between England and South Africa will precede the 8-team mega event.

“We’re planning for all eight teams to be here. David Richardson [ICC chief executive] has been in contact with and has been emailing all the teams participating. There is certainly a communication channel open around this and that dialogue continues as we speak. It’s critical and paramount that we deliver a safe, impressive and exciting tournament for everybody involved,” said Steve Elworthy, the tournament director.

South Africa not considering abandoning the tour

Moosajee said that despite the terrorist attack, the South African team were never considering abandoning the tour. The team’s management has been carefully monitoring information received from their own intelligence as well as sources from the ICC and the ECB.

“If this had happened in another country in the world, that would be the first question people would ask: is the tournament at risk, is the series at risk? As long as people are feeding us the correct information and we trust our advisors – then as things stand, there was no mention of us even thinking of abandoning the tour. If the intelligence information provided tells us something else then obviously we will have to reconsider,”

He also mentioned that by not being intimated by the incident, the South African team sought to take a stand against such violence. The team also condemned the attack as “abhorrent and despicable,” he quipped.

“I don’t think that as sportspeople, we should allow ourselves to be held ransom because otherwise you won’t have world events and you won’t have touring teams,” he said. “We’ve just got to make sure that we trust the system and we trust the people put in place to give us the necessary advice and reassurances,” Moosajee concluded.