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ICC Champions Trophy under threat

25/07/2008

The ICC Champions Trophy is under threat from a series of boycotts due to security fears.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Wednesday that Pakistan will host the tournament in September.

However, player groups in England, Australia and New Zealand have all voiced their concern over playing in the country.

Paul Marsh, of the Australian Cricketers' Association, said: "The risks are too great for us to recommend our players go there. We would expect Cricket Australia to adopt the same position".

Cricket Australia in turn said that it had expressed its concerns over touring in Pakistan during a recent three hour ICC board meeting.

Security has been a major concern in Pakistan since the outbreak of violence following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December.

Chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, Heath Vaughan, said he was planning talks with the Kiwi players after the players association boss Heath Mills warned them not to travel.

"We believe this is a poor ICC decision," Mills told a New Zealand radio station.

"We can't see how they have put player safety as their number one priority and this is very disappointing.

"Our recommendation to our players is not to travel to Pakistan at this point in time. There isn't one player I have spoken to who is comfortable with travelling to Pakistan at the moment."

Sean Morris, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association in Britain, added: "We've still got some very serious concerns, despite the fact that the Pakistan Cricket Board have made every effort they can to try to make it as safe as possible," he said.

"But, unfortunately, in that part of the world there are some matters that are beyond anyone's control.

"You may find a world-class event that doesn't feature a large number of world-class players. That would be a real shame for cricket."

Fears over security in the troubled Asian nation, which has seen widespread military conflict in the north-western tribal region bordering war-torn Afghanistan, had raised doubts among several delegates.

A number of suicide bombings in the area around Islamabad - which is close to one of the proposed Champions Trophy host cities Rawalpindi – have killed more than 1,000 people in the last year alone.