England's Caddick and Croft opt out of India tour

Pace bowler Andrew Caddick and spinner Robert Croft have opted out of England's tour of India, the England and Wales Cricket …

Pace bowler Andrew Caddick and spinner Robert Croft have opted out of England's tour of India, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced today.

But batsman Marcus Trescothick, all-rounder Craig White and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles have decided to take part.

The five players were granted more time to decide after being named in a 16-man squad last week for the test and one-day series due to begin on November 14th.

The tour was thrown into doubt following the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington and the subsequent US-led raids on Afghanistan.

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Several players, including captain Nasser Hussain, expressed concerns about their safety.

Despite today's announcement by the ECB, however, the uncertainty of England's tour to India may not be over.

England do not fly out for another two weeks and batsman Mark Butcher has already said he could still pull out if the situation worsened on the subcontinent.

England play three tests in December before playing a one-day series in January.