Waugh hits out over security (17 May 1999)

17 May 1999

Waugh hits out over security

Charles Randall

Steve Waugh, Australia's captain, criticised the security arrangements at Worcester yesterday after his side's six-wicket win over Scotland, watched by a crowd of more than 5,000.

Two male streakers were allowed to cavort on the outfield as the game reached its close and Waugh, one of the not out batsmen, was jostled during an exuberant pitch invasion as he left the field. This was a bad start to the World Cup because the Australians had become particularly sensitive to crowd behaviour after serious incidents during their recent tour of the West Indies.

Waugh said yesterday: "At the captains' meeting the World Cup organisers assured all the players that security would be the highest priority. After today I don't think it was their No 1 priority. In fact, there didn't appear to be any security there. It was not so much threatening behaviour, but people got access to you. I got jostled out there. If the crowd have had a few drinks anything can happen."

During the Caribbean tour, Waugh could have been seriously injured in Barbados when a glass bottle thrown from the stands narrowly missed his head. A serious crowd invasion at Georgetown led to a censure for the Guyana authorities from the International Cricket Council.

Michael Browning, the World Cup events manager, said the organisers would be asking "all host counties to review their stewarding in the light of these incidents". There were 66 police and stewards on duty at New Road, four times the normal number for a Sunday game.

Cup security came under the spotlight on Saturday at Hove after India's captain, Mohammad Azharuddin, and batsman Rahul Dravid were abused by a fan, who was seized by police. The Indian supporter pushed Dravid and shouted at Azharuddin after the team's four-wicket defeat against South Africa.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)