ECB Give Champs Trophy Call The Nod
Giles - happy camper.
The England and Wales Cricket Board have welcomed today's decision to postpone the Champions Trophy until next year.
The eight-team tournament was due to take place in Pakistan between September 12 and 28 but the International Cricket Council today took the decision to delay the event, with October 2009 now a possibility for the rescheduled tournament.
Security concerns led to the postponement and South Africa had already pulled out for that reason, while players' associations from England, Australia and New Zealand had expressed reservations about playing in Pakistan at the present time.
Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, said: "The ECB board support the decision of the ICC to postpone the Champions Trophy until October 2009.
"The ECB board made it clear to ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat at a meeting at Lord's last week that ECB had a duty of care for England players and officials as well as a desire to ensure the interests of the media and spectators were not compromised.
"The ECB explained their reservations and security concerns about staging the tournament in the aftermath of the resignation of the Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf last Monday. These concerns were shared by four other competing countries at yesterday's teleconference.
"The ECB board recognise the outstanding efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board in attempting to mitigate the risks surrounding the Champions Trophy tournament and I will be meeting with the incoming chairman of the PCB, once an appointment is made, to discuss ways that our two boards can work together in the future."
The decision was taken after an ICC board teleconference today, and the event could still be held in Pakistan if a window can be found in a heavy 2009 itinerary.
Sri Lanka was named as back-up venue last winter but India and Pakistan were adamant it should remain in its original location despite recent suicide bombings in the country.
Current holders Australia and number three-ranked New Zealand were advised by their players' associations not to travel to Pakistan in the current political climate.
The tournament's scheduling was altered earlier this month with Rawalpindi removed as a venue, leaving Lahore and Karachi as the two bases for the eight teams.
But the South African board announced they would not be sending a team on Friday after advice from security experts and their own government.
England captain Kevin Pietersen recently demanded the ECB hierarchy took any decision on whether to participate out of the players' hands.
ICC president David Morgan said: "There was a unanimity to postpone the event until October next year - appeasement wasn't part of the meeting at all.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board have been extremely reasonable about the whole subject and they worked jolly hard to try to give comfort to the member boards of the teams touring that the place would be safe and secure.
"Unfortunately five of the participating nations found it impossible to send their teams to Pakistan because of safety and security concerns.
"Voting was totally in favour of the postponement until October of next year.
"India were quite influential in persuading some other nations that was the right course of action."
Morgan acknowledged little could be done to make sure the competition could take place next month.
He continued on Sky Sports News: "Had we decided a month ago I'm sure the tournament would be taking place in Sri Lanka.
"But the amount of time it's taken for the participating nations to come to their decision not to attend has reduced the time between today and start of tournament.
"It was just impossible to relocate and stage a world-class tournament.
"We're going to meet in the middle of September in Dubai to consider the consequences of today's decision."
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat added: "Every one of our members wish 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.
"Today's agreement provides clarity for our members and in September we will look to put in place a timeframe for arrangements ahead of the event taking place in 2009."