NEW DELHI: International Cricket Council (ICC) representatives will travel to four participating nations to allay safety fears over traveling to Pakistan for next month’s Champions Trophy, it said yesterday.
The delegations would travel to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England, who have reservations over playing in Pakistan for the one-day event starting on Sept. 12, and brief them on the arrangements, the ICC statement said.
Faced with a possible boycott, the sport’s governing body formed a task force that visited Pakistan on Tuesday to assess arrangements in the country, which has witnessed a spate of suicide bombings over the past several months.
It removed Rawalpindi as a venue, retaining only Lahore and Karachi.
ICC chief Haroon Lorgat will head the group to England while the team to Australia and New Zealand will include Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) and Pakistan’s Australian coach Geoff Lawson.
“Our desire is to ensure that every stakeholder is content with arrangements and is comfortable with the ICC Champions Trophy taking place in Pakistan,” ICC president David Morgan said.
The ICC would receive the feedback on Aug. 20 to further fine tune arrangements, it added.
“We are committed to a safe and secure event in Pakistan,” Morgan said.
Organizers issued a revised schedule:
Sept. 12 - Pakistan vs. West Indies - Lahore; Sept. 13 - Australia; India - Karachi; Sept. 14 - Sri Lanka vs. England - Lahore; Sept. 14 - South Africa vs. New Zealand - Karachi; Sept. 15 - Pakistan vs. Australia - Karachi; Sept. 16 - South Africa vs. Sri Lanka - Lahore; Sept. 17 - England vs. New Zealand - Lahore; Sept. 18 - India vs. West Indies - Karachi; Sept. 19 - New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka - Lahore; Sept. 20 - India vs. Pakistan - Karachi; Sept. 21 - Australia vs. West Indies - Lahore; Sept. 21 - England vs. South Africa - Karachi; Sept 24 - semifinal - Karachi; Sept. 25 - reserve day; Sept. 26 - semifinal - Lahore; Sept. 27 - reserve day; Sept. 28 - final - Lahore; Sept. 29 - reserve day.
