South Africa put forward as new Champions Trophy host
Johannesburg recommended as host city for Champions Trophy
Also In The News
|
Liverpool eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 4-0 destruction of Real Madrid at Anfield this evening. |  |
Wednesday, 11, Mar 2009 10:22
A specialist committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has recommended that South Africa replace Pakistan as the host nation for the 2009 Champions Trophy.
Following the shooting of Sri Lankan players on a bus outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore earlier this month, Pakistan has been blacklisted by the ICC as a host for international cricket in the immediate future.
The tournament was initially supposed to be moved to Sri Lanka, if Pakistan were forced to surrender the hosting rights.
But as a result of the Sri Lankan climate, which would see the Champions Trophy being staged during the wet season in September and October, it has been decided that South Africa should be put forward as a last-minute replacement.
After the meeting, via teleconference, chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the committee "agreed the need to do everything possible to ensure this year's ICC Champions Trophy is a successful event".
Lorgat pointed to the admission of Sri Lanka Cricket, who said it could not guarantee there would be no rain in the capital Colombo during the dates set aside for the tournament - September 24th to October 5th.
"On that basis it was felt that it would be too great a risk to stage the tournament in Colombo at a time of year when there was a distinct possibility of rain," he explained.
"This was especially relevant given the length of this year's Champions Trophy has been reduced to 12 days - part of our desire to make it a short, sharp event, as on that basis there would be no room for reserve days."
Lorgat continued: "South Africa was a successful and excellent host of the World Twenty20 at much the same time of year two years ago and the weather pattern in the area around Johannesburg in September and October is stable and ideal for cricket.
"The meeting therefore agreed it would be prudent to look to hold the tournament in South Africa, subject to agreement over financial arrangements.
"We are extremely grateful for Sri Lanka Cricket's willingness to step aside in this matter and for Cricket South Africa's willingness to be considered as the host for the event."
The confusion in this matter has been caused because when Sri Lanka was initially named as the reserve host, the dates of the tournament were given as September 12th to 24th 2008 - which falls in a drier season in Colombo.
However, these dates were scrapped in August last year when several countries expressed a reluctance to go to Pakistan because of fears over the security of their teams.