DUBAI, July 3: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is awaiting a security report of the ongoing Asia Cup in Pakistan before it can take any decision on holding the Champions Trophy there in September.

“We are taking this step by step,” ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said at a press conference on Thursday, after the conclusion of the second day of the board meeting.

“We will get a security report on the Asia Cup in the next 10 days and then we can decide,” he added.

Richardson’s comments came in the wake of several players from Australia, New Zealand and England expressing fears about going there, citing the security situation in Pakistan.

Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), had criticised the decision to hold the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and expressed security fears.

“FICA is very concerned about the inherent risks of holding such an event in Pakistan in such a landscape of unrest and volatility and opposition to Western countries,” he was quoted as saying.

On Thursday, Richardson said: “We are keeping the Australian cricketers as well as FICA informed about the security situation in Pakistan.”

Asked if the ICC had any alternative venue in mind in case the tournament was not held in Pakistan, he said: “As of now, Sri Lanka.”

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket board will reportedly request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to postpone the Champions Trophy one-day tournament and not relocate it, if some member countries still have their reservations about the security situation in Pakistan.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the influential Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has apparently insisted that the ICC should reschedule the matches in Pakistan rather than shifting them abroad if the situation is considered unsafe for the September tournament.

Leading players from Australia, New Zealand and England have threatened to boycott the tournament citing security concerns.

Cricket Australia’s security consultant, Reg Dickason, toured the country to inspect systems and facilities during the ongoing Asia Cup.

The ICC also sent a four-man security delegation to Pakistan last week.

Sri Lanka was named the alternative host for the tournament but the island nation’s security issues have led to South Africa being installed as the preferred back-up venue.

CA will review the findings of Dickason’s report before deciding whether to attend the Champions Trophy. But if the green light is given, several leading players will consider boycotting the tournament.

New Zealand’s players’ association last week predicted several of its players would opt out rather than tour Pakistan.—Agencies