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Cricket: Police out in force for India-Pakistan clash

Police were out in even greater numbers in and around the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium just 48 hours out from the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

An already high-profile encounter between the rivals was given added security status when Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accepted an invitation from India counterpart Manmohan Singh to attend the match.

It will be the first game between the two teams on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

It has since emerged that local police received anonymous tips claiming there was a bomb at the PCA Stadium, with the Hindustan Times reporting that a total of four calls were made from the same phone number on Sunday.

Police, with anti-explosive equipment and sniffer dogs searched the ground while the India team trained on the outfield.

Such inspections have become common ahead of major matches at cricket grounds around the world in recent years in response to perceived terror threats.

India's training session, which finished with a game of volleyball, did not conclude until dusk on Sunday.

Meanwhile Pakistan, who like India started their training session with an enthusiastic game of football, resorted to more traditional methods on Monday as their bowlers were put through their paces out in the middle.

Noticeably, the two teams had trained on opposite sides of the ground, with one security officer telling AFP: "This is Hindustan (India) and that is Pakistan." 

Around 3,000 police will patrol Wednesday's match with some 2,000 expected to be deployed in and around the 30,000-capacity PCA Stadium on match day.

An estimated 1,000 police have already descended on the luxury Hotel Taj in nearby Chandigarh where both teams are staying, a force which includes Indian army commandos. 

The game, which takes place in the border state of Punjab, has already sparked a flurry of political activity.

14:14 | |

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