England-India ODI series called off

The last two matches of the India-England seven-match one-day series have been called off over safety fears following a series of terrorist attacks in south Mumbai on Wednesday night in which around 100 people have been killed and more than 300 injured.

An England [Images] Cricket Board (ECB) statement said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had agreed to its request to postpone the remaining two one-dayers.

"The ECB today requested the postponement of the 6th and 7th One Day Internationals in the current series between India and England. BCCI has agreed to this request," England team's media relations manager Andrew Walpole said in an email statement.

"The England team will not travel to Guwahati this afternoon as scheduled and will remain in Bhubaneswar overnight pending further discussions with the BCCI," he added.

ECB Managing Director Hugh Morris, captain Kevin Pietersen [Images], coach Peter Moores, manager Reg Dickaso and Walpole held initial discussions with the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, as well as representatives from the Indian team management at the team hotel in Bhubaneswar after which it was decided to call off the last two ODIs.

A decision on the two-Test series to be played next month will be taken later on Thursday evening.

England have so far played five one-dayers and have lost all the matches to trail the seven-match series 0-5. They were also scheduled to play two Tests in Ahmedabad [Images] (December 11-15) and Mumbai (December 10-23).

Even before the tour began there had been security concerns for the ECB after bomb blasts left dozens dead in Guwahati, where the sixth ODI is due to be played on Saturday.

The teams were also supposed to stay at the Taj Hotel, one of the places attacked by the terrorists, during the second Test in Mumbai next month.

The sources said that the upcoming Champions League, to be held in three different venues of the country from December 3 to 10, is also likely to be cancelled with many of the top overseas players reluctant to tour India.

Even if the tournament takes place the matches could be moved out of Mumbai.

English county side Middlesex have already cancelled their flight to India on Thursday after reports of the attacks came out.

Gunbattles raged between terrorists and commandoes and fresh explosions rocked two luxury hotels -- Taj and Trident (Oberoi) -- after a night of terror targeting ten places in the country's financial capital killed over 100 people.

A groups of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into luxury hotels, a hospital and the CST railway station late on Wednesday and fired indiscriminately.