KARACHI, July 25: Holders Australia and other key nations could pull out of the ICC Champions Trophy after the International Cricket Council decided to go ahead with the tournament in Pakistan, officials said on Friday.

The Australian and New Zealand players’ associations called on their country’s governing bodies not to send teams to Pakistan.

The ICC said on Thursday it would appoint a commission to ensure security in Pakistan at the Sept 11-28 showpiece but it was not enough to quash security concerns.

“We’ve gone through this with a fine-tooth comb and we don’t think the risk to go to Pakistan is acceptable. I am very hopeful Cricket Australia (CA) will make that decision,” Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said.

“It would be unfair to put that decision back on the players and it would be inconsistent to put that decision back on players given what’s happened in the past.”

Marsh added that the ACA was “disappointed” with the ICC decision and was still seeking clarity on the security task force proposed by the sport’s global governing body.

Meanwhile, CA did not rule out boycotting the Champions Trophy following the ICC decision on Thursday.

“The fundamental principle for us is that we don’t send players or staff somewhere that isn’t safe,” CA spokesman Peter Young said in an interview on Friday.

“We have concerns about the situation in Pakistan and we need to be satisfied about those concerns before we could be comfortable sending a team there.”

Young added that CA would wait until the last assessment of the ICC’s new security taskforce comes back on Aug 10 before making a final decision, and had not set a deadline for “no-go” date.

“We want to satisfy ourselves with independent rigour, and unless we’re satisfied, we can’t send a team,” Young expressed.

Young said CA was not concerned about what pressure the ICC or other countries might apply to get the reigning champions to defend the title.

“Our track record speaks for itself,” he said. “We have previously made difficult decisions, we’ve pulled out of going to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on occasions when safety has been an issue.”

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat acknowledged the decision might lead to withdrawals by teams or individuals but said his organisation would work hard to allay all security fears for the limited-overs tournament that features the world’s top eight teams.

“Our security advisers are very confident,” Lorgat said. “We know of no credible threat against the event or any players. The Asia Cup was held recently and there were no incidents. It was a pretty safe event.”

Young said CA, the ACA and the players would “stay joined at the hip as we go through the final weeks working out our position.”

Part of that process would be getting a detailed, confidential briefing from the Australian government about the situation in Pakistan, Young continued.

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds and New Zealand’s Jacob Oram, two of the heaviest hitters in the game, have long said they won’t risk their safety to tour Pakistan.

A spokesman for Symonds said he was travelling on Friday and not available for comment. Shane Watson, the other Queensland all-rounder in the Australian squad, said he would play wherever, whenever he could for Australia, but would take that decision under advisement from the national administration.

CA has guaranteed any players who opt out for legitimate safety concerns would not suffer future selection repercussions.

An ICC spokesman said the governing body wanted the top players to feature in the prestigious global event.

“We obviously want the best available players to take part in the tournament,” he told Reuters.

“One of the priorities for the special task force being put in place is to ensure a level of comfort for all stakeholders in the arrangements,” he added.

In New Zealand, cricketers’ association president Heath Mills said all the players that he had spoken to were uncomfortable about travelling to Pakistan. “We’re very disappointed by the decision out of the ICC overnight,” Mills said.

“There’s been a strong view that we don’t think Pakistan is a safe work place for the players and our position hasn’t changed,” Mills claimed. “It’s our strong recommendation to the players that they don’t travel to Pakistan at this point in time.”

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said it was talking to the players’ association and its own board about the safety concerns.

In the meantime, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tried to allay fears over security, insisting that they were more dedicated than ever to staging a safe event.

“Yes, we are relieved and more focused now that a decision has finally been made, although we always had confidence in the wisdom of the ICC board,” PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said.

“I hope the task force would allay the fears of all the individuals and, by overseeing our arrangements, keep us well prepared for a successful event.”

The South African players’ union also voiced serious concern on Friday over the safety situation in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

Tony Irish, the South African Cricketers Association’s (SACA) chief executive, said his organisation wanted to work with Cricket South Africa (CSA) before taking a final stance on whether the Proteas should participate or not.

“It is premature to suggest that we have pulled out,” Irish said. “We have serious concerns and we want to work with CSA about whether the team will go or not.”—Agencies