ICC delays decision on Champions Trophy dates

[Sadaf Gondal]

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will not make a decision on the new dates for the postponed Champions Trophy tournament until October at the earliest, it was announced here Thursday.

A board meeting at the global governing body's Dubai headquarters failed to reach agreement on the issue after the Champions Trophy, due to take place in Pakistan from September 12-28, was postponed until October 2009 after several leading sides voiced security concerns.

However, already in the calendar for 2009 is a clashing seven-match one-day series between India and world champions Australia while the second edition of the lucrative Champions League Twenty20 tournament, featuring the world's leading domestic sides, is due to take place from September 25 to October 11.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has so far refused to alter the dates of the Australia series and officials are struggling to find a gap in the schedule for the 50 overs per side Champions Trophy event.

"It was agreed by the ICC Board that ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat would engage with member boards likely to be affected by the rescheduling of the tournament to September/October 2009," an ICC statement said.

"It was further agreed that Mr Lorgat would report back to the Board on the result of that engagement at its next meeting, in October."

The ICC also announced plans for further trials of the umpire referral system used for the first time during Sri Lanka's recent Test series win over India.

"It was agreed the ideal would be for as many umpires and teams as possible to be exposed to the trial to allow proper assessment of the system's merits or otherwise," the ICC said, adding the series involved in the new trials would be determined in due course.

"It was confirmed that a final report on the trial to cover all series in which it has been employed would be presented to the ICC cricket committee in May 2009 and then considered by the chief executives committee in June 2009.

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