Champions Trophy postponed until October 2009

Cricinfo staff

August 24, 2008

The ICC has postponed the Champions Trophy, which was due to begin in
Pakistan in 19 days' time, to October 2009, after five of the eight
participating nations confirmed during a teleconference on Sunday that
they would not send their teams for the event due to security concerns.

South Africa had on Saturday pulled out of the
tournament, which was originally scheduled to be held from Sept 12-28
in Karachi and Lahore, and the ICC was informed on Sunday that
Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies, too, would not be
participating.

The ICC will now meet in September to
finalise a window for the tournament in 2009 and, while Pakistan will
be given "first preference" to host it, a decision on the venue may be
taken only after a security assessment of the country is done around
February, after the India tour.

Sources who attended the ICC's teleconference
said there was the option of the tournament being relocated to Sri
Lanka, the official alternate venue, but India and Pakistan remained
adamant against a change.

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="286"><tr><td class="txtHeader">Timeline</td></tr><tr><td class="dotSep" valign="middle"> </td></tr><tr><td> May 1, 2006 - The ICC awards the 2008 Champions Trophy to Pakistan March 11, 2008 - Australia postpone their tour to Pakistan over security fears March 19 - ICC says Sri Lanka will be the alternate venue June 18 - Official launch of Champions Trophy June 19 - Ricky Ponting says Australian players are uneasy with touring Pakistan July 6 - Pakistan successfully stages six-nation Asia Cup July 24 - ICC keeps Champions Trophy in Pakistan after board meeting, high-level task force appointed July 24 to 26 - Players lobbies step up pressure to pull out; Kevin Pietersen urges ECB to make Champions Trophy decision; Graeme Smith has 'major concerns' Aug 10 - ICC task team travels to Pakistan to assess security Aug 12 - ICC drops Rawalpindi as one of the venues Aug 14 to 17 - Geoff Lawson deployed by ICC to convince Australia and New Zealand; the task force, along with Lawson, meet Australian officials; New Zealand and Australian players' associations remain unconvinced; ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat briefs England team Aug 19 - Top ICC officials meet in Dubai, announce teleconference for August 24 Aug 22 - South Africa withdraw from tournament Aug 24 - ICC postpones trophy until next year, Pakistan keep hosting rights </td></tr></table>

India, the sources said, were not willing to sacrifice Pakistan. The
Sri Lankans too didn't press their case, as they supported the Pakistan
view that a venue change could not be made on security grounds. The
meeting was held in an amicable atmosphere because most of the issues
had been thrashed out among the members beforehand, rendering the final
discussions a mere formality.


"There was unanimity in the decision to postpone the event until October next year," David Morgan, the ICC president, told Sky Sports.
"India is very influential but so is Giles Clarke (ECB chief
executive), Australia, New Zealand - they all bring their influence to
bear.

"The vote was totally in favour of the
postponement until October next year. And India were quite influential
in persuading some other nations that that was the right course of
action."

The ICC have appeased Pakistan, at least for
the time being, in choosing not to cancel the competition entirely but
postponing it until October next year. Morgan, though, was insistent
that "appeasement was not part of the meeting at all".

"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been
extremely reasonable about the whole subject, (it has been very clear)
they have worked jolly hard to try to give comfort to the member
boards, and the eight teams that are touring, that it would be safe and
secure," Morgan said. "Unfortunately, five of the participating nations
found it impossible to send their team to Pakistan because of safety
concerns."

Though the postponement means there will be a
rare 33 days without international cricket this year, the schedule for
2009 promises to be every bit as packed - besides, the next edition of
the Champions Trophy is coming up in 2010. "Every cricketing year is a
busy one," Morgan said. "We're more aware of it in the UK because of
the Ashes, the World Twenty20 and the one-day series against Australia,
but it is no busier a year than any other.

"There will certainly be more security
assessments. We're going to meet around the table in 3 or 4 weeks in
Dubai to discuss the mechanisms of the postponement. There are numerous
things to be discussed and we're planning on meeting in the middle of
September to discuss the consequences of the decision."

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive,
added: "Every one of our members wishes to ensure the ICC Champions
Trophy is a world-class event and the prospect of relocating it at
short notice in order to make sure it was played this year would not
allow that criterion to be fulfilled."

Shafqat Naghmi, the
PCB's chief operating officer, said that postponing the tournament was
the only option in light of boycott threats. "Cricket is not going to
die here, it's just that we are going through a difficult phase,"
Naghmi said. "We would have lost the hosting rights had the Champions
Trophy been relocated [to Sri Lanka].


"With four of the eight teams threatening to pull out, "it made little sense to organize a four-team competition," he said.

Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said his board supported the ICC decision
and had last week "explained their reservations and security concerns
about staging the tournament in the aftermath of the resignation of the
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf last Monday."

...

dats bad ... i waz really looking forward to it ...

uff its too late

i want it asap

i am waiting for it

sad news... so wait now