New Zealand 'A' pulls out of Moin-ud-Dowla tourney

By Our Sports Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 13. It was a sad but inevitable decision by the New Zealanders to pull out of the Coromandel King Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup cricket tournament after reaching the semifinals here.

``Fearing escalation of trouble in the sub-continent following the terrorist attack on the United States of America, we have been told to come back home by the New Zealand Cricket Board,'' said Mr. Ross Dykes, manager of the New Zealand `A' team.

``It is not that we are not safe in India. But it was more of a precautionary measure. The decision by our Board was apparently taken after consultations with the Foreign Ministry,'' Mr. Dykes said. ``Afterall, the players' welfare is utmost for us. And most of them are in a mood to be back in their homes rather than be kept guessing in case of any escalation of trouble,'' was his explanation to a query.

``We got the communication from the Board this morning and not from the Foreign Office,'' he clarified.

The Kiwi manager took pains to say that they were absolutely comfortable with their stay in India. ``We enjoyed the hospitality here and it was a nice gesture on the part of the Hyderabad Cricket Association to allot all our matches at Lal Bahadur Stadium,'' he remarked.

Commenting on the tour itself, Dykes was very pleased with the team's performance on this tour. ``We won the Buchi Babu tournament and were very optimistic of winning here too,'' he said. ``Definitely, it was a sad and disappointing decision to quit the event mid-way'', he added. More so for the five players who were supposed to join the National squad in Pakistan. However, with that tour itself being cancelled, this team will in all probability join them in Singapore before flying back to New Zealand. A sorry end to a team which delighted the local fans with their high quality skills in all departments of the game and that too after spending nearly Rs. 4.5 lakhs for their stay in Hyderabad.

``We have to abide by the Board's decision which is always in tune with the players' interests,'' Mr. Dykes said to a question whether they could have continued to stay back in India. On the experience of playing here, the manager said that it was certainly a good investment for the future. ``We personally feel that the players adapted themselves remarkably to the Indian conditions, which is evident by their performances on the field,'' he said. ``We love and hope to be back playing in India,'' he concluded.

The New Zealanders are scheduled to leave by the Mumbai flight tonight. Originally the New Zealanders were to play MRF (Chennai) at Lal Bahadur Stadium in one semifinal while, India Cements takes on Indian Overseas Bank at the Gymkhana.

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