International Cricket Council (ICC) finalized fresh dates for the Champions Trophy today in Dubai. The tournament is now scheduled to be held from September 24 to October 5 in 2009 in Pakistan. The venue remains unchanged, even after the tournament which was slated to be held this year was cancelled after several teams withdrew their participation due to security concerns. The duration of the 8-team tournament has been cut by five days which includes a reserve day for the final match.
The location of the tournament, which has been decided to be played completely on a single venue, will be selected after India’s tour to Pakistan in January 2009. This is expected to reaffirm the participating nations, broadcasters, commercial partners and other stakeholders of playable conditions. Lahore and Karachi had been initially decided as the venues. Sri Lanka remains the unchanged alternative venue.
The Champions Trophy was cancelled this year after five out of eight participating teams pulled out citing player safety reasons. Pakistan has been the target of suicide bomb attacks for the past year. It is rumored that the Marriott Hotel which was rocked by a suicide blast this year was supposed to house the England and South Africa teams for the Champions Trophy.
ICC president Dave Morgan quoted, "We are delighted to have slotted the Champions Trophy into the FTP in 2009 thus maintaining the primacy of ICC events, and we now look forward to staging an outstanding, memorable event next September/October." ICC Chief Executive Haroon Longat expressed his thanks to members for accommodating the Champions Trophy in their already-packed calendars. He said, “The tournament, with its new format of the top eight teams playing in a short, sharp event, is vitally important for the world game because it allows those members, as well as the developing cricket world, to grow the sport."
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has welcomes the announcement saying it will bring quality world-class cricket to the troubled nation. The 2010 edition of the tournament will, however, be played as per the schedule in West Indies only.
