da mrbet： NOTTINGHAM, England – Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has brandedthose who threw a firecracker at one of his players during their 36-runday-night loss to Pakistan here tonight as “idiots”
PA20-Jun-2001NOTTINGHAM, England – Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has brandedthose who threw a firecracker at one of his players during their 36-runday-night loss to Pakistan here tonight as “idiots”.It narrowly missed Australian speedster Brett Lee, but prompted Waugh tolead his team off the pitch, delaying the game for almost 20 minutesbefore they returned after being assured it would not happen again.Security at Trent Bridge had been stepped up for the game after previousugly scenes at Edgbaston and Headingley.A steward was detained in hospital in Leeds on Sunday after beinginjured during an invasion of supporters after Pakistan’s convincingvictory over England.Speaking after the game, Waugh said: “The stewards tried their best tocontain things but you can’t control idiots, can you?”I took the players off and until I felt reassured about their safety wewere not going to go back out there.”Today there was an improvement in the way things were dealt with but itwas still not an ideal situation.”They put up fences but I don’t think I would have been too keen if Ihad been a steward stood behind them.”There were 350 stewards on duty at Trent Bridge and plastic mesh wasused to try to prevent the crowd swarming onto the pitch.Australian team manager Steve Bernard told reporters that the problemwould never be truly solved until the England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) received the legal backing they are urgently seeking from theBritish government.Britain’s new sports minister Richard Caborn, who consulted ECBofficials about security over the last two days, has for the time beingsidestepped the ECB’s call for legislation.ECB chief executive Tim Lamb has insisted that legislation to stoptrespassing is the only way to prevent a repeat incident.But, so far, the British government appears to be stalling on a positiveresponse.”We’ll talk to the ECB, no doubt,” Bernard said.”I’m sure the ECB are committed to making this as safe as possible forus.”But, as we’ve said before, the problem stems from the parameters inwhich they work.”There is no legislation in cricket here that allows them to take actionagainst people who come on to the field — it’s as simple as that.”So, at the end of the day, they’re trying all these other measureswhich, as good as they are, are never going to do the job which needs tobe done.”Pakistan coach Richard Pybus said: “If there had been a second incidenttoday, we would have been off the field and that would have been the endof the game.”But, after the initial incident, the crowd quietened down and I wouldlike to give credit to Notts County Cricket Club.”I thought their organisation was superb.”