How Australian cricketers sounded the alarm in India
Players’ boss Paul Marsh has rejected claims that Australian cricketers breached World Cup protocols at the Indore morning coffee run and were “caught” by an attacker who is now in police custody; Details emerged about how players informed team security personnel about the incident.
A man identified in Indian media as Akil Khan allegedly approached two members of the World Cup women’s team while riding a motorcycle on the street around 11am on Thursday.
The Australian team was due to leave Indore on Sunday. Credit: access point
While politicians condemned the attack, which state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya described as “a stain on India’s image”, the accused was arrested on Saturday night on charges of harassment and inappropriate touching.
Danny Simmons, the team’s security manager, told police he received a text message from one of the players as the defendants attempted to apprehend one of the couples about 500 meters from the hotel. India Times reported.
“Hello SoS [Simmons’ nickname]I am sending you my live location… there is a man following us and trying to catch us,” the player wrote. Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Paul Marsh said he had spoken to Cricket Australia and the two players involved.
Paul Marsh, chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association.Credit: Getty Images
“Obviously it was sad, they were shaken up too, but they’re OK,” Marsh said.
“The response of the Australian team’s on-field security manager in India and the local police was excellent. Players spend long periods abroad and need to be able to leave the hotel from time to time.
“This is an incident that we hope will never happen again.”
