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Champions Trophy to stay in Pakistan: PCB chief

A paramilitary soldier stands guard outside the National Stadium in Karachi

Pakistan's cricket chief Thursday said that his country would host the Champions Trophy as planned but that the International Cricket Council would appoint a commission to ensure security.

The announcement came after the ICC's executive board held a teleconference to discuss the possibility of moving September's biennial tournament because of security fears raised by Australia, England and New Zealand.

"The Champions Trophy will stay in Pakistan and we thank all member countries for their kind support," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Naseem Ashraf told a news conference.

"The ICC will be appointing a special task force to ensure that the implementation of the recommendations of the (ICC-commissioned) security report are indeed being met," Ashraf said.

The year's biggest one-day tournament, featuring the top eight one-day nations, was due to be held in Pakistan from September 11 to 28, with Australia as the defending champions.

Pakistan's fate as tournament host was left hanging in the balance on Sunday after a security briefing in Dubai featuring all participating nations decided to wait for a teleconference of the ICC executive board.

Players from Australia, England and New Zealand had raised security concerns with Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Paul Marsh Wednesday, saying there were credible threats in all major Pakistani cities.

Pakistan is fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in its northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan and has suffered a string of deadly suicide bomb attacks in the last year which have killed more than 1,000 people.

ICC delegates at Sunday's meeting were briefed over security arrangements made during the incident-free six-nation Asia Cup competition which Pakistan hosted from June 24 to July 6.

However, a bomb blast in the capital Islamabad on July 6 killed 19 people, mostly police, and there was a series of minor blasts in Karachi the following day which killed one person and wounded dozens.

Rawalpindi, which adjoins Islamabad, is one of three venues for the Champions Trophy along with Lahore and Karachi.

After Sunday's meeting, an ICC statement said that while there was recognition that Pakistan had provided effective security for the Asia Cup and would do so again, "concerns were expressed about the potential for threats beyond the PCB's control."