New Zealand team happy with security

NEW DELHI: New Zealand hockey team, which had expressed security concerns before coming to India for the World Cup, on Friday said they were satisfied with the arrangements for their safety.

“Yeah, we are very happy with the security, but initially some of the guys were little worried with media reports on security concerns in India,” New Zealand captain Philip Burrows said.

‘Black Stick’ striker Simon Child dropped out of the squad due to security fears and Burrows said his side would miss him in the tournament.

“We will miss Simon Child. He is a great striker, he has the firepower upfront. But hockey is team game, there are 18 members in the team and everyone has to perform.

“I tried to entice him to come here the other day with a text message but there was no response from his side,” said the 29-year-old.

England manager Andrew Halliday said the fears of his side’s players mostly arose from the reports in the newspapers and internet but after reaching here they found the security arrangements satisfactory.

“Most of the security fears were due to reports the players read from the newspapers and internet. But after reaching here it is fine. We are happy with the security arrangements for the World Cup,” he said.