August 16, 2008	Saturday	Sha'aban 13, 1429

MELBOURNE, Aug 15: Raising fresh uncertainty on next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday said it was running out time to take a final decision whether to go ahead with holding the tournament in that country or shift it to Sri Lanka.

“We’re very short of time now. If we’re going to relocate now it needs to be made within the next few days. Operationally, it would be difficult but it’s certainly not an option that would be discarded and it could be relocated,” ICC General Manager (Cricket) Dave Richardson said after meeting Cricket Australia (CA) officials.

Richardson said if England, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand remained reluctant to visit Pakistan over security concerns, there is just enough time to move the Champions Trophy to Sri Lanka.

While CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said the ball was in the ICC court in terms of how they responded to Australia’s worries, Richardson said he was seeking a commitment either way from Australia.

Richardson, who led an ICC task force to address the players’ security concerns, said until the four countries made their decisions it was impossible to predict where or in what format the tournament would take place.

“They (CA) need to give us a firm commitment. All they’ve done is to listen to the facts. We know that there are still some concerns, particularly from the players’ association, mainly on the actual implementation of the security measures which are in place,” he added.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who was among the players reluctant to tour Pakistan, said while the security efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and those of the ICC looked positive on paper, his team-mates remained anxious over the implementation of the procedures.

“The concerns are still there. There have been lots of things said that are going to be put into place and let’s hope those things are put in place to an appropriate level.

“There’s obviously some decisions to be made in the next few days,” Ponting said after meeting Richardson.

“We’re only three weeks away from one of the biggest one-day tournaments that we play and we still don’t know if we’re going,” he stated.

Sutherland agreed time was running out to make a decision and said he was keen to see how the ICC responded to the concerns of the players and CA.

“It’s 24 days now till the tournament starts, so it’s coming down to crunch time. What we’ve always said is that we reserve our rights to make a decision at the appropriate time. Even if we decide that we’re going, we still reserve our rights to change our mind at any stage,” he said.

“The ICC task force needs to report back to the ICC, they need to take on the advice that they’re picking up, not only from feedback they’re getting from Australia, but also from New Zealand and England and South Africa and other parts of the world.”

Ponting, Sutherland, Michael Clarke and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) Chief Executive Paul Marsh heard the opinions of the task force. Another set of ICC officials will speak to South Africa and England early next week.

The New Zealand squad, meanwhile, have not changed their stance on participating in the Champions Trophy despite a detailed security briefing by the ICC task force in Christchurch on Thursday.

Safety remains a big concern and Heath Mills, the executive manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, will not be recommending the team attends the tournament.

“In all honesty, nothing I heard yesterday (Thursday) has allayed our concerns,” Mills said.Mills was impressed with the security plan specifications. However, he was worried how it would work actually in Pakistan.

“There is no question about the effort put in by the PCB and the Pakistan government, the security plans are outstanding,” he expressed.

“They’re the best we’ve ever seen for cricket. But the fact is they are unproven and we don’t know if the plans can be delivered.”

Twenty-two of New Zealand’s contracted players attended the meeting along with team management and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) officials.

On Thursday, Australian seamer Stuart Clark admitted he was feeling increasingly uncomfortable about playing in Pakistan.

Australia controversially postponed a full tour of Pakistan earlier this year due to the security situation.—Agencies