Riots force India, England cricketers to stay at hotel

The rioting and looting that began in London on Saturday spread to more areas, including Birmingham, north of London, casting a serious doubt over the third Test match between England and India.

Attackers smashed shops and looted property in the city of Birmingham in central England, police said, in the first sign of the riots spreading beyond the capital.

The two teams, who are scheduled to play the third Test in Birmingham beginning on Wednesday, were confined to their hotel rooms.

A few England players expressed their concern over the situation.

Star batsman Kevin Pietersen made his frustration clear. "They have just locked our hotel in Birmingham Riots just started here. Insane!" he wrote on Twitter

England all-rounder Tim Bresnan also voiced his concerns on Twitter. "Just seen rioters in Birmingham fleeing down the main street followed by load of police in full get up. What's going on?"

All-rounder Stuart Broad added on his Twitter page, "Police vans all around Birmingham where we are right now."

The violence erupted late on Saturday in London's northern Tottenham district when a peaceful protest over the police shooting of a suspect two days earlier turned violent.

By Monday, the violence had spread to parts of the south of the city, including Clapham Junction, one of London's busiest railway junctions, Woolwich in the capital's southeast and the Ealing area of west London.