Dubai: The ICC Board on Sunday agreed unanimously to postpone the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Pakistan from September 12.
The staging of this prestigious competition has been postponed until October 2009 with Pakistan retaining its right to host it.
The agreement was reached during a telephone hook-up of ICC Directors yesterday.
The ICC Board will meet in September to discuss the details of the postponement.
This move comes following last Friday's tele-conference by the ICC task team to discuss the feedback received from meetings with stakeholders from Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa.
It was widely speculated that the ICC would go ahead with the Champions Trophy in Pakistan from September 12-28 despite apprehensions voiced by ICC members Australia, New Zealand and England, and South Africa opting out.
No alternatives
However, with a little over two weeks to go for the competition, the ICC members were not even in a position to consider an alternate venue.
"The members will meet next month to see how best the tournament can be accommodated in October next year," Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC Manager of Media and Communications told Gulf News.
However, it was also agreed that if other ICC members continued to express reservations over issues of safety and security in the host nation, then the ICC Board will have the right to decide on a new venue for next year.
In the statement issued by the ICC, President David Morgan has reiterated his support for Pakistan.
"There was complete support and sympathy for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the situation it finds itself in," he stated.
"However, there was also a realisation that, under the current circumstances, some of the teams due to compete in the ICC Champions Trophy had reservations about touring there which could not be removed," added Morgan.
ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "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.
"In September we will look to put in place a timeframe for arrangements ahead of the event taking place in 2009."
