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Inexperienced attack England calls up uncapped Ball, Johnson
LONDON (AP) -- Two uncapped players, off-spinner Martyn Ball and seamer Richard Johnson, were called up to the England cricket squad Friday for the upcoming tour to India. Ball, of Gloucestershire, and Johnson, of Somerset, are replacements for Andrew Caddick and Robert Croft, who pulled out of the 16-man squad because of security fears. Ball was chosen ahead of county teammate Jeremy Snape and experienced Phil Tufnell, while Johnson was picked over Yorkshire's Chris Silverwood. The selections mean England will travel to India for its first tour in eight years with one of its most inexperienced attacks ever. The three spinners have eight test appearances among them, while the three seamers have just three. Only five members of the squad have played more than 20 tests. Only two players -- captain Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe -- have more than 50 appearances. The England team, due to arrive in India on Nov. 14, will play three tests in December and five one-day internationals in January. English officials satisfied with Indian securityNEW DELHI, India (AP) -- England's cricket officials discussed security arrangements Friday for its cricket team's visit to India with officials of the federal Home Ministry in New Delhi and said they were satisfied with what they had heard so far. "We've had one round of meeting with Home Ministry officials today and are quite satisfied with what we've been told so far," said John Carr, England and Wales Cricket Board's director of cricket operations, as he came out of the meeting. Carr and Tim O'Gorman, an executive of England's Professional Cricketers Association, will have more meetings later Thursday with Home Ministry officials, whose purview includes all security arrangements in India. Security at various venues will be provided by the respective state governments but a federal security agency is expected to overlook all arrangements, which happens only in cases of high-profile visitors. Indian cricket board's secretary Niranjan Shah said the ECB delegation had expressed their satisfaction with the proposed arrangements at every stage of their deliberations with officials since Thursday. "They've repeatedly told us how satisfied they are with the arrangements," Shah said. "The tour's on ... There's no doubt about that." Carr and O'Gorman met Indian cricket board's President Jagmohan Dalmiya in the eastern Indian metropolis of Calcutta on Thursday. Dalmiya said he was able to address the security concerns of England's representatives. He said the ECB officials were quite satisfied after personally having seen India as a safe place. Amid the U.S.-led air strikes in Afghanistan, the security worries of England's cricket squad have taken the limelight away from sport. But Dalmiya said this visit by England's officials to India was aimed at clearing apprehensions and not for creating doubts. The England team, which will arrive in India on Nov. 14, will play three tests in India in December and fly home for Christmas. It will visit India again in January for five one-day internationals.
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