Monday, Dec. 1, 2008

LONDON (AP) England is making contingency plans for its test series in India after Steve Harmison said Sunday that returning to the subcontinent in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai would be the most important decision of his life.

Tough call: Hugh Morris, managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board, speaks to the media during a press conference at Heathrow Airport in London on Saturday. AP PHOTO

"The carnage is unimaginable, like a horror movie," the fast bowler told the Mail on Sunday. "I'm sorry but whatever is being asked of us in the next few days, at the moment, the idea of being asked to go back out there is the last thing on my mind."

Harmison responded to suggestions in the British media that England had a moral obligation to go back to India for the two-test series, which is scheduled to start on Dec. 11 in Ahmedabad.

"This is beyond cricket, this is beyond anything," he said. "It's all very well for people back home to say we should carry on with the tour, but none of what has happened has anything to do with cricket. How anyone can say that we should be carrying on with the tour in the circumstances is beyond me. I can't say now that I will definitely not come back or that I definitely will."

At least 174 people were massacred in the attacks starting Wednesday night carried out by suspected Muslim militants at 10 sites across Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal hotel, where England stayed two weeks ago.

Harmison warned that even if the England and Wales Cricket Board guarantee the team's security, he and his teammates will not automatically agree to play.

"If the board say they want us to go back the players have about 72 hours to come to the most important decision of their lives," he said. "All I hope is that nobody thinks we will take it lightly."

Harmison's previous reluctance to tour led him to retire from limited-overs internationals in 2006. He rescinded that decision in August after a plea from England captain Kevin Pietersen.

ECB managing director Hugh Morris said Saturday that England was committed to the India tour, provided it was "safe and secure" to return.

A decision will be made by Monday after consultations with the ECB's security staff, the British Foreign Office and the U.K. High Commissioner in Delhi. Morris confirmed individual players will be not be forced to travel.

"I would not, if somebody felt strongly, force their arm," he said. "They would have the necessary information to make an informed decision, but that would be a personal choice."

Morris said the ECB was preparing for players to pull out.

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