08-25-2008, 10:33 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Cricket: Champions Trophy postponed until 2009</b> LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan has been postponed, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Sunday. âThe ICC Board today agreed unanimously to postpone the ICC Champions Trophy...until October 2009,â the world governing body said in a statement. <b>âPakistan will retain the right to host the tournament but it was agreed that if other members continued to express reservations over issues of safety and security then the ICC Board would have the right to decide about the tournament's location,â</b> the statement added. The decision followed a teleconference of the ICC's executive board. ICC president David Morgan said in the statement: âThere was complete support and sympathy for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the situation it finds itself in, which is not of its making. âHowever, 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. âIn 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.â <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->