New Zealand and Australia are expected to withdraw from the tournament
August 22, 2008
Recent bombings in Pakistan have made things worse and surely not helping its cause of hosting the Champions Trophy next month as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Friday made it clear that suicide bombing overnight in the troubled nation which killed 59 people will ” form part of the picture” when they take decision whether or not to attend take part in the tournament.
NZC will take part in an International Cricket Council (ICC) teleconference on Sunday to discuss whether or not Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy.
The New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) executive manager Heath Mills has meanwhile said that the association would recommend that players did not travel to Pakistan.
Australia have joined New Zealand in refusing to accept assurances from an International Cricket Council delegation that the Champions Trophy can safely take place in Pakistan next month. Their response makes a further delay inevitable and increases the likelihood that the competition will be switched to Sri Lanka.
Cricket Australia’s concerns about the safety of its players in Pakistan were not fully answered during a fraught meeting with an ICC delegation in Melbourne.
Even if the ICC takes the extraordinary step of relocating the tournament to Sri Lanka, there are doubts Australia will commit to visiting the alternate venue because of security concerns.
The ICC board will discuss the venue issue on Sunday, having decided last month to stick with Pakistan.
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