Players show strong solidarity

England's players have presented a strong display of solidarity by agreeing to fly out to Abu Dhabi for a training camp.
Despite reservations from several senior players following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, every member of the Test squad - with the exception of injured pair Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad - will fly out tomorrow for several days of training.
It is a significant show of support for captain Kevin Pietersen, who has understood the desire to show support for India by continuing the tour while he has also sympathised with those players who had grave reservations about returning.
But the future of the tour is still to be resolved with England expecting further security reports before the players make a final decision about whether to continue their journey to Chennai for the first Test or return home.
Reg Dickason, the team's security consultant, is already out in India checking on the security arrangements in Chennai and Mohali, the venue for the second Test, and is to be joined by Hugh Morris, the managing director of English cricket and Professional Cricketers' Association chief executive Sean Morris.
They will ensure their recommendations are implemented by the Board for Control of Cricket in India before they agree to continue with the tour, but they have both welcomed today's announcement that the players have at least agreed to travel to a halfway house.
"We've spoken over the last 48 hours with every player on at least two and probably three occasions," revealed Hugh Morris. "Today Sean Morris 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 today with the players and I'm just delighted to see that everyone will be on the plane bound for Abu Dhabi tomorrow.
"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 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 their base for their attacks on guests.
Further pictures of bodies being removed from the hotel, where they were due to return for the second Test until the BCCI issued a revised itinerary, shook them up all the more so their decision to get back onto the plane can be regarded as a triumph for Pietersen's captaincy.
"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.
"What has been very encouraging is that all the players have opted to get back on that plane together and Sean and I will be monitoring the situation on a daily basis."
They will depart tomorrow without Sidebottom, who has failed to recover from the side strain he sustained during the one-day series and the selectors will consider his replacement during their stay in Abu Dhabi.
Fellow Nottinghamshire seamer Broad will also be absent and will instead stay behind for intensive treatment on a hamstring strain he sustained during the fifth one-day international at Cuttack last Wednesday.
Broad has already been ruled out of the first Test in Chennai on December 11 and the speed of his recovery will depend on whether he flies out to join the squad for the final Test at Mohali on December 19.
Any replacements are likely to come from nine members of the Performance Squad who will also travel to Abu Dhabi, which include Ravi Bopara and Samit Patel from the one-day squad and Sajid Mahmood and Amjad Khan who had been added to that squad to cover for injuries before the terrorist attacks curtailed the tour.
Middlesex's Alan Richardson and Durham's Liam Plunkett may also come into consideration, but if England do continue their journey to Chennai they will do so knowing their preparation for a Test series has been seriously disrupted, particularly against an India side who beat Australia recently.
"It will be incredibly difficult," conceded Hugh Morris. "What we're trying to do as far as possible is to provide the players with some level of preparation ahead of the Test series.
"What we're doing is taking some extra bowlers over there to help the players practice. We have a number of different net facilities and middle practice available to us if we want to use them."