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MELBOURNE - Australia's Andrew Symonds would not tour Pakistan next year if he considered it was unsafe, the cricket all-rounder said on Sunday.
Pakistan plunged into widespread violence and political turmoil after the assassination of opposition politician Benazir Bhutto on Thursday.
Cricket Australia is to visit the country to review the security before the March tour but Symonds said he would withdraw from the team if he did not feel safe.
"I'm not interested in going into a situation that's dangerous, where people are getting killed and hurt. There's no point in that, in my opinion," Symonds told Brisbane's Sunday Mail newspaper.
"At the end of the day, it's a game of cricket. I take my cricket very seriously and I love playing for Australia but I'm not going to put myself in a situation where I can be harmed.
"There's no need, not for a game of cricket.
"That's how I stand at the moment. I'll be closely monitoring things and learning more about how their country is being run from the political side of things.
"You personally choose whether you want to play for Australia. If you're selected, you can choose to decline the offer of going on a tour or playing a game."
Cricket Australia said earlier this week it was too early to make any decisions on the tour until an inspection team visited the country in February.
Australia has not played a test in Pakistan since 1998 with their three test tour in 2002 moved to Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates because of security issues.
They are due to play three tests and five one-day internationals, but the tour schedule has yet to be finalised.
- REUTERS
