The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that a security officer will accompany the team throughout their tour of India, which starts next week. "We are looking to appoint a security manager for the tour," an ECB spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday. "The exact nature of the role is still to be determined."

The announcement comes less than a day after the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) urged the ECB to appoint a fulltime security officer or a team of people employed to protect the players and investigate hotels before the squad arrives.

A 16-page report submitted by the PCA also asked for a senior ECB official to travel with the team. "This ECB official must travel on the same planes and stay in the same hotels as the team," the PCA said.

But one senior official who won't be accompanying the team is Lord MacLaurin, the ECB chairman. Despite his assurances to the players that they had nothing to fear, MacLaurin has opted to remain at home for the first two Tests (which are in the north of the country), and will join the side for the final Test at Bangalore, deep in southern India. According to an ECB spokesman there is "no particular reason" for his decision. It is a stance which is hardly likely to reassure the players, or increase his popularity among them.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd