Champions Trophy off until Oct 2009
The International Cricket Council board on Sunday unanimously agreed to postpone the Champions Trophy, scheduled to take place next month in Pakistan, until October 2009.
Pakistan remain the host nation for the tournament, but the ICC maintain the right to review the situation "if other members continued to express reservations over issues of safety and security".
The decision was taken on Sunday after a teleconference between ICC board members, who will meet again in September to discuss details of the postponement.
The eight-team tournament was due to take place from September 12-28 but South Africa had already pulled out because of security concerns, while players' associations from England, Australia and New Zealand had expressed reservations about playing in Pakistan at the present time.
Current holders Australia and number three ranked New Zealand were advised by their players' associations not to travel to Pakistan in the current political climate.
The world governing body, therefore, deemed it "prudent" to delay the event.
ICC president David Morgan said after the teleconference: "There was complete support and sympathy for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the situation it finds itself in, which is not of its making.
"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.
"In those circumstances it was considered prudent to postpone the event to October 2009, a time when we all hope conditions may be more acceptable for all the competing teams."
Giles Clarke, chairman of the ECB, added: "The ECB board support the decision of the ICC to postpone the Champions Trophy until October 2009. The ECB board made it clear to ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat at a meeting last week that ECB had a duty of care for England players and officials as well as a desire to ensure the interests of the media and spectators were not compromised."
