The New Nation - Internet Edition

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Australia's Andrew Symonds has voiced his concerns over the March 2008 tour of Pakistan following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto last Thursday.

Cricket Australia has confirmed its commitment to the tour.

But 32-year-old all-rounder Symonds said he was deeply concerned about the level of security in Pakistan.

"I'm not interested in going into a situation that's dangerous, where people are getting killed and hurt," Symonds told Brisbane's Sunday Mail.

"There's no point in that, in my opinion.

"At the end of the day, it's a game of cricket. I take my cricket very seriously and I love playing for Australia but I'm not going to put myself in a situation where I can be harmed. "There's no need, not for a game of cricket. That's how I stand at the moment.

"I'll be closely monitoring things and learning more about how their country is being run from the political side of things.

"You personally choose whether you want to play for Australia. If you're selected, you can choose to decline the offer of going on a tour or playing a game." Speaking on Friday, Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said: "There's a commitment to tour Pakistan and we'll be pursuing every avenue for that tour to go ahead.

"At the same time, we have absolutely as top priority the safety and security of our players and employees.

"That is what we'll be focused on as we review all the relevant circumstances."

He continued: "We'll be taking all the necessary advice ahead of the tour so we know whether it's actually appropriate or not to be making that visit."

The Australians are due to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game in Pakistan, their first full tour of the country since 1998.

The 2002 series between the two sides was played at neutral venues in Sharjah and Sri Lanka because of security concerns.

But Sutherland added: "Whether we play in a neutral venue is not up to Cricket Australia, it's a matter for the Pakistan Cricket Board."

Cricket's world governing body, the International Cricket Council, is keen for the tour to go ahead, if at all possible.

"Security can't be guaranteed anywhere," chief executive Malcolm Speed said.

"It's been a long time since Australia has played in Pakistan so there'll be a lot of Pakistani fans who'll be waiting for this great Australian team to come and play against their team.

"I think we just need to let things settle down and then go from there."

Ms Bhutto, a former Pakistan Prime Minister, was killed in a suicide attack during an election rally in Rawalpindi.

According to some witnesses, she was shot in the neck by a gunman, who then set off a bomb which killed at least 20 other people and injured several others.

Australia's recently elected PM, Kevin Rudd, confirmed that time would be taken to fully assess the situation before a final decision about the cricket tour is taken.

"We've already seen evidence of violence in the short period of time that's elapsed since the assassination - in the days ahead we don't know what's to occur.

"Therefore the most responsible course of action is for us to be in the closest possible contact with Cricket Australia so an appropriate, timely, informed decision can be made this particular tour," he added.

There has been no word yet from Zimbabwe cricket officials about their team's tour to Pakistan in January.