July 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1429

COLOMBO, July 21: Sri Lanka, the official alternative venue for the Champions Trophy, is “very confident” of staging the tournament within the short preparation time available if Pakistan, the official host, is ruled out by the ICC board due to security reasons, Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) chief executive has said.

“We are confident that we can hold the tournament within the short span of time if it’s not possible to hold it in Pakistan,” Mendis said on Monday. “We had confirmed our name as alternative hosts some time back and we stand by that. We are prepared logistically and on the security front and are very confident about hosting the tournament, if it comes to us.”

Mendis said that speculation about South Africa or England being asked to step in as alternative hosts was “unnecessary” at this point of time, as “Sri Lanka is the official alternative venue”.

The ICC’s executive board is expected to take a decision this week on Pakistan’s status as host after the governing body conducted a security briefing on Sunday for board officials of the eight participating countries, broadcast executives, and players’ association representatives.—Agencies