ICC reiterates commitment to security, safety at Champions Trophy

Mon, Jul 7 01:32 AM

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) _ The International Cricket Council's CEO vowed Sunday not to risk anyone's safety during September's Champions Trophy, making his statement the same day a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in Islamabad. "The ICC will not compromise the safety and security of any individual at one of its tournaments, and if it is not appropriate to play in any country then we will not do so," Haroon Logart said in a statement.

Sunday's attack targeted a police station in Islamabad, the capital adjacent to Rawalpindi one of three Pakistani cities scheduled to stage Champions Trophy matches. Lahore and Karachi are the other cities.

The blast was the deadliest in Islamabad in about a year and was the latest attack in Pakistan's battle against militancy, mainly staged in the northwest tribal regions near Afghanistan. The ICC executive board met last week in Dubai, receiving a briefing by security consultants.

"During annual conference week, the Chief Executives' Committee and the ICC Board came together to receive a presentation by the security consultants hired to oversee that matter both before and during the ICC Champions Trophy," Lorgat said. "A process was agreed upon to deal with any incidents that may occur between now and the end of the tournament.

"The process involved an exchange of information between the competing teams, the ICC and the security consultants." Sri Lanka has been designated as the alternate site for September's one-day international tournament featuring the sport's top eight teams.

A final security report is expected within 10 days to determine if Pakistan is safe to stage the event. Pakistan Cricket Board chief Nasim Ashraf, who attended the ICC meeting, had said that it was a "standard process of the ICC to have a backup venue.

" Australian Reg Dickson hired by the Australia, England and New Zealand cricket boards to assess security measures ahead of September's tournament toured Karachi last week. "Some fine tuning needs to be done and everyone acknowledges that," Dickson had said without elaborating.

Besides host Pakistan, the tournament set for Sept. 11-28 will feature teams from Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, South Africa, West Indies and India.

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