July 11, 2008	Friday	Rajab 7, 1429

KARACHI, July 10: Confident of hosting the Champions Trophy as per schedule, the Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday dismissed reports of it mulling compensation from the ICC if the biennial event got relocated to another country.

“At this point of time we have not even thought about seeking any compensation if the tournament is shifted to Sri Lanka or South Africa,” Shafqat Naghmi, PCB chief operating officer said. “The ICC has also not given us any indication that the situation has changed since they announced we would host the event on schedule,” he said.

Media reports had earlier said Pakistan would seek a $3 million hosting fees compensation from the ICC immediately, if the tournament was shifted from Pakistan.

Denying such reports, Naghmi said the issue of compensation was nowhere in the picture right now. “The bomb blasts that took place in Islamabad and Karachi were unfortunate but the ICC has since then not spoken to us on this issue. And our stand has also not changed,” Naghmi added.

He said the ICC officers were constantly monitoring the situation. “We are hopeful that their security process for the Champions Trophy will allay any fears any participating team might have of playing in Pakistan,” he said adding “the board was extending full cooperation to the ICC security consultants.”

He said the board was also working overtime to ensure that the construction and renovation work at the stadiums in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore, where the trophy matches are to be held, are completed on time.— Agencies