Rawalpindi unlikely to host Champions Trophy
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
The ICC delegation in Pakistan to review the security arrangements for the Champions Trophy has all but ruled out Rawalpindi as a venue for the tournament after being briefed by the country's Interior Ministry Monday, reports Cricinfo.
"It is a strong possibility that we reduce it to two venues [Karachi and Lahore]," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive officer, told AP. "During the Asia Cup there were no fixtures at Rawalpindi. That didn't provide us an opportunity to check the security arrangements, so there was no way we could formulate an opinion on Rawalpindi."
Rawalpindi was scheduled to host five matches and Lorgat said a revised itinerary, with Lahore and Karachi sharing Rawalpindi's matches, will be released in a couple of days. Lorgat also said the delegation's meeting with the ministry was very informative. "The attitude and willingness of the Pakistan government officials to implement security measures was very positive." The last one-dayer Rawalpindi hosted was in December 2006.
"It is a strong possibility that we reduce it to two venues [Karachi and Lahore]," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive officer, told AP. "During the Asia Cup there were no fixtures at Rawalpindi. That didn't provide us an opportunity to check the security arrangements, so there was no way we could formulate an opinion on Rawalpindi."
Rawalpindi was scheduled to host five matches and Lorgat said a revised itinerary, with Lahore and Karachi sharing Rawalpindi's matches, will be released in a couple of days. Lorgat also said the delegation's meeting with the ministry was very informative. "The attitude and willingness of the Pakistan government officials to implement security measures was very positive." The last one-dayer Rawalpindi hosted was in December 2006.