England vs India one-day matches cancelled after Mumbai attacks

England's last two one-day matches in India were cancelled yesterday because of security concerns after Wednesday's militant attacks in Mumbai.

"The BCCI (Indian board) has accepted the request of the ECB (English board) to cut short the one-day series in light of the disturbing events in Mumbai," Indian board secretary N. Srinivasan said in a statement. "The last two ODIs have been called off as a result."

A group of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into luxury hotels, a hospital and a railway station late on Wednesday and fired indiscriminately, killing more than 100 people.

BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi told Reuters England's two tests next month would go ahead, although the second match scheduled for Mumbai from Dec. 19-23 could be moved to a southern Indian venue.

"The ECB has requested that and we are examining it," Modi said, referring to a possible change of venue. "The test series will go on."

Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced yesterday that their team will return home but plan to come back for next month's two-test series.

"We feel that, even if it were for a few days, the home environment is the place where the players should be," ECB managing director Hugh Morris told Sky Sports News.

"The test matches are in place and unless we get security advice to the contrary we will be playing those tests."

Modi told Sky Sports News the board had been told the England players were going to leave the country.

"We have no issue with that at all, we were told the players were going to leave the country. We were not sure where they were going," he said. "If they are going home we are very happy they are going home."

The sixth one-day match was scheduled for Guwahati tomorrow and the final game in New Delhi on Dec. 2. India were 5-0 up in the series.

Next month's Twenty20 Champions League, featuring teams from Australia, South Africa, England, India and Pakistan, has also been postponed.

The unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) cancelled their match in Ahmedabad.

Australia's tour of India in September also started in controversial circumstances after a series of bombs in New Delhi killed at least 20 people and injured 90.

The latest attacks have raised further doubts over India's tour of Pakistan early next year following a spate of suicide bombings in Pakistan over the past few months.

Pakistan officials have suggested swapping Pakistan's 2010 tour of India or even staging the series in a neutral venue.