Pakistan get all-clear for Trophy

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has confirmed that the Champions Trophy will be staged in Pakistan in September but admits it will be a struggle to convince players to participate.

Lorgat is currently leading an ICC fact-finding mission of the country to determine whether the tournament should remain in Pakistan or be moved to an alternative venue.

Pakistan has been hit by a series of bomb blasts in recent months - Australia postponed their scheduled tour in March - and several players have expressed concerns over safety.

But Lorgat claims to have seen enough to convince him that it is safe to stage a major sporting event.

“Pakistan has been given the all-clear to hold the Champions Trophy, the first-ever in this country,” Lorgat said.

“From what I have seen and what I have heard and beginning to witness some of the actual security implementation measures, I am quite impressed with the level of security in place.

“It is another matter to satisfy and improve the confidence of key players.”

Lorgat will visit Australia, New Zealand and England in an attempt to persuade players that their safety will be guaranteed.

“We have got a series of visits that follows from completing the visit to Pakistan,” he added.

“We go to Australia and New Zealand and speak to the boards as well as the Players' Association and to the players themselves and then visit to England and let's see what comes out.

“To convince them is a big challenge and it’s upon us to convey the message and to raise the confidence based on what we have seen and experienced that the security arrangements in place should be sufficient to have the event safe and secure.”

Lorgat also suggested that Rawalpindi would be dropped as one of the venues with all the matches being staged in Karachi and Lahore.

He added: “There is a strong likelihood that Karachi and Lahore will hold the matches, thus excluding Rawalpindi as one of the three venues.”

Rawalpindi has not staged a one-day international since December 2006.

The city has suffered several terrorist attacks in the past year, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December.

The tournament is due to start on September 11 but is likely to be delayed by one day so as not to coincide with the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the USA seven years ago.