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Pak team arrives in tight security conditions

The Pakistan cricket team, led by skipper Wasim Akram, arrived in New Delhi this evening amid unprecedented security, saying it would have gone ahead with the tour even if Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had not withdrawn his call for disrupting the series.

"We are here to honour your invitation and to promote good relations between the two countries," said Pakistan team manager Shaharyar Khan, a former top diplomat, at an overcrowded press conference at the Taj Palace hotel.

He said. "Never in the history of sports has a team has come amid such daunting pressure. So I want to pay tribute to my players who have the courage and conviction to come here despite so many pressures and problems."

Khan said, "We have come to vindicate the honour of our country and to give dignity to the game and to establish sporting contacts." He said it was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who insisted that the tour must go on.

"Sharif told me this morning that it was his decision to send the team despite all the problems."

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