Champions Trophy To Stay In Pakistan
Despite security fears, the Champions Trophy cricket tournament in September will be held in Pakistan – a scenario that could lead to a number of international teams withdrawing.
The International Cricket Council has announced that the event will remain in Pakistan, after appointing a special task force to ensure security.
The ICC discussed the possibility of moving the tournament because of security fears raised by Australia, England and New Zealand.
The security commission will include the British ICC president David Morgan while Vice president Sharad Pawar, chief executive Haroon Lorgat, principal advisor Inderjeet Bindra and Ashraf will also be on the task force.
They will be joined by a representative from the tournament’s official broadcasters, ESPN-Star, and a member of the Federation of International Cricketers Association.
The year’s biggest one-day tournament, featuring the top eight one-day nations, begins on 11th September, with Australia as the defending champions.
ICC delegates at a meeting on Sunday were briefed over security arrangements made during the incident-free six-nation Asia Cup competition which Pakistan hosted from 24th June 24 to 6th July.
Rawalpindi, which adjoins Islamabad, is one of three venues for the Champions Trophy along with Lahore and Karachi.
Pakistan is fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in its northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan and has suffered a string of deadly suicide bomb attacks in the last year which have killed more than 1,000 people.
Several foreign teams have refused to tour Pakistan since the terrorist attacks on 11th September, 2001 – a scenario that forced Pakistan to relocate two of its home series to Sri Lanka and Sharjah after the West Indies and Australia refused to tour in 2002, while they also postponed a tour due to be played earlier this year.
New Zealand cut short a tour of Pakistan after a bomb blast outside their hotel in Karachi killed 19 people, including 14 French naval staff, in May 2002.
