Trophy News From London, England
Potential for a serious split in the cricket world and a seriously devalued ICC Champions Trophy have been averted by the postponement of the competition due to take place in Pakistan next month. West Indies, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as England, told an ICC tele-conference yesterday that they were not prepared to send teams because of concern over security.
David Morgan, the ICC president, said it may still switch the trophy tournament, now scheduled for October 2009, if countries continue to express fears over their safety. The concern is that any move will become a precedent ahead of the 2011 World Cup, which Pakistan is jointly hosting with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
English county clubs are the immediate beneficiaries. Their international players will now be available for the end of the season. Of the leading Championship trophy contenders, Durham will have Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Paul Collingwood and Stephen Harmison while Nottinghamshire can call upon Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Samit Patel and Graeme Swann.
The postponement means that the inaugural Champions League, which includes Middlesex as winners of the Twenty20 Cup, may be brought forward from its date in December, having been switched from the end of September and early October after complaints about the proximity to the Champions Trophy.
Originally Written by Richard Hobson in The London Times
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