England back Pietersen - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

England back Pietersen

England fly out to their training camp in Abu Dhabi on Thursday having delivered a strong show of solidarity behind captain Kevin Pietersen as they consider whether to continue their tour of India.

Despite reports of player unrest at the prospect of resuming the tour in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, every fit member of the Test squad will fly out for a training camp while further security reports are provided for the two Test venues in Chennai and Mohali, which are currently being inspected by security consultant Reg Dickason.

"We've spoken over the last 48 hours with every player on at least two and probably three occasions," revealed Hugh Morris, the managing director of English cricket, who has been in close contact with the team alongside Professional Cricketers' Association chief executive Sean Morris.

"Sean and I spoke to each player together and clearly, for those who were out in India, it's been a very traumatic experience.

"We had a lot of discussions with the players and I'm just delighted to see that everyone will be on the plane bound for Abu Dhabi.

"I think it's very important and shows a lot of solidarity that all the players will be going back on the plane. The critical thing is that we've had the initial security reports back in and we will be continuing to monitor them on a daily basis."

The players' reservations about their return are all based on the graphic images of the attacks they witnessed on Indian television before the tour was halted and they returned home last Saturday.

They were particularly shaken up by reports the terrorists used the 11th floor of the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers hotel - the same floor they stayed on at the start of the tour - as the base for their attacks on guests.

"Kevin has been incredibly supportive and it's nice to see the players lining up behind Kevin," admitted Hugh Morris. "It's good to see the solidarity within the team and clearly it's important for us to provide all the players with the latest security reports."

The selectors will consider a replacement for Ryan Sidebottom, who has been ruled out with a side strain, in Abu Dhabi while Stuart Broad is definitely out of the first Test with hamstring problems and will remain in England for further treatment.

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