Players should take their own decision on IPL, says Vettori

Christchurch, March 7 : Skipper Daniel Vettori has said that New Zealand players should take their own decisions on going to India to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next month.

Overseas players in the IPL are apprehensive of playing in the league post the terror attacks on Mumbai and the Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan.

Vettori's team mate Jacob Oram, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings, has already expressed doubts over his participation in the lucrative Twenty20 competition. Vettori called Oram's comments "a very individual thing".

"Jacob probably spoke from the heart and he is that sort of guy. A lot of the other players will trust from what New Zealand Cricket does and the Players Association says about security around all sub-continent tours in the future," Vettori was quoted as saying by The New Zealand Herald Saturday.

The captain added that the players should take heed of the security experts' opinions.

New Zealand Cricketers' Association boss Heath Mills said the world players' body FICA had been trying without luck to get information on security plans from the Indian board for IPL set to start April 10.

"Once and for all, this (Lahore attack) ought to have put safety and security as the No 1 priority for the International Cricket Council," said Mills.

"They must immediately implement world benchmark safety standards. We can't have situations where independent security consultants aren't involved."

--IANS