Cricket Pulse

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday blamed India for the failure to finalise new dates for the Champions Trophy at the ICC’s just concluded two-day meeting.

Highly-placed PCB sources said that India had made this point during the ICC’s chief executives committee meeting in Dubai, where fresh dates for the tournament were discussed but nothing was finalised.

“India is not interested in having the Champions Trophy at all. It has made clear that they see no necessity for this event on the ICC calendar,” one source said.

The ICC had postponed the Champions Trophy till the next year after Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand refused to send their teams because of security concerns for their players in the trouble-torn country.

The chief executives committee, after two-day deliberations authorised ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat to speak to the Boards and find a suitable window in the future tours programme to reschedule the Champions Trophy in 2009. The hosting right, however, was retained with Pakistan.

The source said one of the main reasons for the ICC chief executives committee not finalising new dates for the tourney was because India had made it clear that it was due to host Australia for a seven match One-day series in October, 2009 and would not change their itinerary for the Champions Trophy.

“India basically feels that with the Twenty20 World Cup also now on the calendar and the World Cup held every four years there is really no need for the Champions Trophy. But the ICC contention is that the event allows it to distribute much needed funds to associate countries and for development purposes,” the source said.

Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer of the PCB, however remained hopeful that the Champions Trophy would be held in 2009 in Pakistan .

“We are happy that the ICC has reiterated the event would remain in Pakistan but they would send a delegation over next March for inspection,” he said.