Champions Trophy in Pakistan postponed over security fears
Sunday, 24 Aug 2008 13:42
Pakistan has been in turmoil since the assasination of Benazir Bhutto in December.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has postponed next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The eight-team tournament was scheduled to start on September 12th but will now be played next year.
On Friday, South Africa pulled out of the tournament because of security fears while England, Australia, and New Zealand had also expressed concerns about playing in Pakistan.
Next year's Champions Trophy is likely to be held in October when there is a break in the international calendar.
The ICC was considering moving the tournament to Sri Lanka but the Pakistan Cricket Board threatened to pull out of the tournament if it was moved to another country.
India was the only cricket board to publicly pledge its support to playing in Pakistan.
Pakistan is fighting Taliban and al-Qaida militants on the border with Afghanistan, which has sparked a wave of suicide bomb attacks in the last year.
In the latest suicide bombings, seven people were killed and 23 wounded in the Swat valley yesterday.
Last week, there were two suicide bombings in the towns of Wah and Dera Ismail Khan which killed 95 people and left dozens injured.