England in India 2008-09

Strauss says England have a duty

Cricinfo staff

December 3, 2008

	Andrew Strauss: 'The players I've spoken to have been very much in the same frame of mind as me' © Getty Images

England opening batsman Andrew Strauss has said he and his team-mates are ready to play their two-Test series in India because of a "duty to the game".

The squad will fly to Abu Dhabi on Thursday before receiving their final security briefings from the ECB. If they are satisfactory the team will head to Chennai early next week to prepare for the first Test. Contrary to speculation the full England squad will travel and Strauss said they need to trust the security advice.

"We've weighed up the pros and cons of going back on tour and I think we've all come to the conclusion, if the security arrangements are sufficient, we've probably got a duty to the game of cricket to get out there and play these two Test matches if at all possible," he told BBC Radio Five Live. "That's what his job is and it would be wrong for us to second guess his [security advisor Reg Dickason] professional opinion.

"We travel round the world all the time, we often go to places that have had problems in the past and we put our faith in the security experts to tell us where is safe to travel and where isn't and I don't see why this should be any different."

Strauss was with the Performance Squad in Bangalore when Mumbai was hit by the terror attacks last week and flew home the day before the one-day squad. He said in the immediate aftermath of seeing the TV pictures thoughts turned to home and families, but a few days back in England has given players time to refocus.

"To begin with there was a lot of shock and emotion because a lot of it seemed very close to home. When things like that happen you start thinking about being with your family and cricket probably doesn't feel like such a big priority," he said. "But having had a few days to let things settle down, you look at things a bit more logically and objectively.

"The indications we've got so far is it is [safe] and once the full checks have been made then we can all make that journey to India on Monday. The players I've spoken to have been very much in the same frame of mind as me."

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