 ICC postpones Champions Trophy until October 2009
24th Aug 2008 22:00 IST
Agencies
Giving in to the pressure mounted by top countries like South Africa and Australia, the International Cricket Council today postponed the next month's Champions Trophy in strife-torn Pakistan until October 2009.
ICC President David Morgan said they could not remove the reservations of some of the participating countries about their safe tour of Pakistan under the current situation and postponed the event to October 2009.
"There was complete support and sympathy for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the situation it finds itself in, which is not of its making," Morgan said in a statement after a teleconference of ICC Executive Board in Dubai.
"However, there was also a realisation that, under the current circumstances, some of the teams due to compete in the ICC Champions Trophy had reservations about touring there which could not be removed.
"In those circumstances it was considered prudent to postpone the event to October 2009, a time when we all hope conditions may be more acceptable for all the competing teams," he said.
The game's world governing body ended weeks of suspense over the fate of the high-profile event two days after South Africa had formally pulled out of the event, citing security apprehensions.
Apart from South Africa, top countries like Australia, England and New Zealand had also publicly expressed concerns over playing in Pakistan, which has witness of a series of violent incidents, and bomb blasts in the recent past.
Morgan also said the ICC Board would have the right to decide about the tournament's location if the doubts persisted.
"It was agreed Pakistan would retain the right to host the event next year but that if, at a certain time, any Members still had reservations then the ICC's Board would have the right to relocate the event," he said.
The ICC Executive Board will meet again next month to discuss the details of the postponement.
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