ICC confirm Champions Trophy switch

The International Cricket Council have announced this year's postponed Champions Trophy with not be staged in Pakistan.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be played last September, but a decision was made to delay it after a number of teams expressed security concerns at touring the strife-torn country.

And those worries have forced the ICC to make a decision to move the event away from Pakistan, with an alternate venue to be decided upon at the governing body's next board meeting in April.

A statement from the ICC following their board meeting in Perth read: "The Board accepted that, with several members expressing reservations about touring Pakistan, it would be prudent to relocate the event, scheduled for September/October, from that country.

"In view of the challenges facing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which are out of its control, the Board agreed that, irrespective of the location of the event, Pakistan would retain the revenue due for hosting the tournament.

"The Board resolved to make a decision on the location for the event before its next scheduled meeting, in April."

The PCB's acceptance of the ICC's decision is sweetened by the fact that they will retain the revenue from the tournament.

The PCB announced significant financial losses at the end of last year which they attributed in part to the reluctance of nations to tour the country.

Australia postponed their tour of the country last year while India pulled out of their scheduled tour last month in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan have not played a home Test match since South Africa's visit in October 2007 and did not compete at Test level at all in 2008.