MELBOURNE, Feb 21: Australian captain Ricky Ponting says his side is contractually bound to play on the upcoming tour of Pakistan if security concerns are overcome and the trip proceeds.

“Whether it’s unfair or not, we’ve all signed off on it,” Ponting said on Thursday.

“There will be lots of safety and security measures put in place and there will be all sorts of security checks done throughout Pakistan over the next few weeks to let us know as a player group whether it is actually safe to tour or not.

“If it’s seen to be safe and you don’t go, then that’s where the breach of your contract would be,” Ponting noted. Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman Young echoed Ponting’s assessment.

“The situation with the 25 players who have signed the CA contracts is that they have signed a contract which binds them to play cricket as and when CA schedules cricket,” Young said.

“To not play cricket as and when CA determines would put a player into a breach of contract situation,” he stated, adding if Symonds skipped the Pakistan tour, he would still need CA permission to play in the IPL.

He further said that it was hypothetical at this stage if that (IPL permission) would be granted.

Australia will send a security team to Pakistan in early March to decide if the tour can go ahead.

Australia and Pakistan officials met in Kuala Lumpur this week during an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting to discuss potential changes to the tour that was scheduled to begin on March 10.

If the security team gives the go-ahead, the tour of three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 match will be shortened from 48 days to 30 days and begin on March 29.

On Wednesday, all-rounder Andrew Symonds said he was considering sitting out the tour due to security concerns. On Thursday, he appeared to backtrack on the statement.

“The door’s ajar, but you know where I stand on it,” Symonds said on Thursday.

He said if CA told him that he was required to tour, “at the time that happens I’ll have to make a decision that I’ll have to stand by. Safety is at a premium, that’s all it is really.

“Make as big or little a deal out of it as you like, but to me that’s the problem we’re faced with, otherwise I’d be saying I’ll go there and play cricket.”

The Pakistan tour overlaps with the early part of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins its inaugural season on April 18.

On Wednesday, Symonds fetched US$1.35 million at the IPL auction, five times his reserve price and the second-highest in the auction after India’s one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Meanwhile, Australian opener Matthew Hayden says he will wait until he has seen all available information before deciding if he will tour Pakistan.

Hayden says he will make his own decision based on what the ACA finds.

“The ACA has a position to see whether its executive are actually going to travel over for that reconnaissance. We decided last time that that wasn’t going to happen,” he stated.

Insisting it all comes down to players’ safety, Hayden said: “It’s a very liquid negotiation and one that we need to take stock on, and our position has always been very firm, as has CA’s position – all about player safety.

“No one wants to see players get hurt, and we’re in a position now where we obviously need to go through process.

“We need to go through that for cricket, and we’re going to get the best information, independent information as well on security, which allows us to make an informed decision,” he emphasised.—Agencies