Adam Gilchrist says the frustration at watching the Englishmen stand their ground during the recent Ashes series got him thinking about 'walking' in a match.

The Australia vice-captain, who shocked his team mates -- and the world -- on Tuesday by deciding to walk back to the pavilion even though the umpire ruled him 'not out' to a catch in the World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka, revealed that his conscience was stirred by England captain Nasser Hussain's refusal 'walk' after Jason Gillespie had caught him in the Boxing Day Test. He also recalled another no-walk incident in the Adelaide Test involving Michael Vaughan.

"I'd smashed it and I thought I should walk off," Gilchrist told AAP about Tuesday's incident.

He said: "Hussain and Vaughan had me thinking a lot about walking or times when players have blatantly nicked the ball, know they have and whether they should walk.

"I'm not on a crusade to try and get it back to the old days of gentlemen's behaviour but a lot of the time I was thinking, 'I wonder if I'll ever be in a scenario where I'm the batsman and I have to make that decision'.

"Today that situation came up and something inside me said 'walk' so I went. I saw (umpire) Rudi (Koertzen) give me not out and shake his head, so I just went.

"I remember vividly the Boxing Day Test when Nasser Hussain didn't go when Dizzy (Gillespie) claimed to have caught him.

"I remember thinking and saying to a few people that there was the perfect opportunity for a player to make a statement.

"Maybe, because it's been in my mind I reacted that way. I don't want to have headlines around the world saying I'm making a stand that players should walk but that's my feelings on the scenario and how I can play the game, hopefully."

As part of Cricket Australia's annual "assimilation" tours, a squad of 12 up-and-coming players will leave for a tour  of India on March 20.

The squad, the fifth being sent to India as part of an exchange programme, will play two limited-overs games and a two-day match on the tour.

The annual assimilation tours provide promising Australian cricketers the opportunity to train and play under the unique conditions of the subcontinent. National selection panel chairman Trevor Hohns said the assimilation tours are important to strengthen Australia's ability to compete at home and overseas.

"Playing cricket in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is certainly different to the conditions our players experience here in Australia. We have a duty to prepare players, particularly our developing cricketers, for the conditions, should they one day tour the subcontinent in a national side," Hohns said.

"Providing the opportunity for players to familiarise and appreciate the conditions first-hand is an invaluable experience for them," he said.

Cricket enthusiasts can rest assured as the World Cup semi-finals and the final will not be affected in case of outbreak of war in Iraq, organisers have.

While the first semi-final between Australia and Sri Lanka went off smoothly, with only a rain threat, India is scheduled to take on Kenya in the other semi-final on Thursday, the day when the deadline for Iraq President Saddam Hussain to flee or face war expires.

But the International Cricket Council official in KwaZulu-Natal, Cassim Docrat, who is also the CEO of cricket in the province, said the match between India and Kenya would be held as scheduled.

"It would go ahead as planned even if war breaks out on Thursday morning," Docrat said.

Though the remaining World Cup matches will not be affected, Docrat said South Africa's cricket tour to Dubai and Bangladesh next month might have to be "rescheduled to a later date".

Meanwhile, an ICC spokesman was quoted as saying on the World Cup's official web site that organisers are confident adequate security measures are in place if war breaks out in Iraq.

Former skipper and veteran all-rounder Wasim Akram appeared before the inquiry committee set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board to probe the team's debacle in the World Cup.

Akram, who defered his retirement plans after Pakistan's early exit from the World Cup, appeared before the three-member panel yesterday in Lahore, The News said.

The committee, headed by Col (retd) Naushad Ali, discussed at length with Akram the reasons for the team's failure in South Africa.

Off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, whose omission from the team for crucial matches had created a controversy, also met the panel, the report said.

In the coming days, the committee is expected to examine more members of the squad before finalising its report by March 23, a day before PCB announces the revamped squad to take part in the tri-nation Sharjah Cup, beginning on April 1.

Off-spinner Sarandeep Singh has been named to replace an injured Murali Kartik in the India 'A' team currently playing in the domestic competition in the West Indies .

Sarandeep Singh will leave for the West Indies on Wednesday, Delhi and District Cricket Association vice-president C K Khanna said.

Left-arm spinner Kartik sustained a fracture in the match against Jamaica at Kingston, Khanna said.

India 'A' are taking part in the West Indies first-class competition, Carib Beer Cup, as an invitational side.

With Henry Olonga reportedly seeking asylum in South Africa or England fearing threat to his life, World Cup chief Ali Bacher said he has no information on the whereabouts of the former Zimbabwean fast bowler.

Bacher was speaking in an interview with South Africa's national English radio station, SAFM, on reports that Olonga was hiding in the country because he claimed Zimbabwean security men were looking for him.

It was reported that he has gone into hiding in South Africa, pending his application for refugee status in the United Kingdom.

Saying that an investigation would be conducted into the claims by the fast bowler that he is being threatened by security forces of Zimbabwe, Bacher said he was yet to get any report in this regard.

"I've received no reports about Olonga being threatened by Zimbabwean security forces," said Bacher adding "We'll investigate".

He said the ICC is concerned about such reports and there is no doubt that the organisation would tackle the matter properly.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the South African Police Services (SAPS), Selby Bokaba, denied that there were any Zimbabwean security officials in South Africa.

Shaun Pollock's sacking as South Africa captain after the team's failure in the World Cup campaign was attacked by a United Cricket Board official in a newspaper interview on Wednesday.

Errol Stewart, a member of the UCB's national cricket committee, said: "You can't just get rid of a national captain in that abrupt and unsatisfactory manner."

He told The Star newspaper that the selectors' decision had been "based on unsubstantiated information apparently fed to them by a person, or persons unknown".

Pollock was dismissed on Saturday after hosts South Africa failed to reach the second round of the World Cup. He was replaced by 22-year-old batsman Graeme Smith, who has had an impressive start to his career but only played eight Tests and 22 one-dayers.

Former South Africa coach Graham Ford, meanwhile, said he was amazed by the decision. "Polly was a soft target. All I can conclude is that people hit on him in order to save their own jobs."

He said of Smith: "He's a lovely guy with great passion, but he has very little experience and hasn't played outside of South Africa... I think it's been very unfair, both on Pollock and on Smith."