England's itinerary to be confirmed this week

David Morgan: 'I would hope that we will be able to confirm the schedule within the next few days' © Getty Images Enlarge

England's itinerary for this winter's tour of Pakistan is likely to be announced this week following lengthy discussions between officials from the respective boards.

David Morgan and Shahrayar Khan, chairmen of the ECB and PCB, met at Lord's at the weekend, with the hosting of games in Karachi at the top of the agenda. England, who acted on the report of two security experts who visited the city last month, have declined to play a Test there, but Shahrayar arrived hoping to persuade them to agree to two ODIs instead.

It seems unlikely that the ECB will do that, especially as rumours have been circulating that some players have grown uneasy about visiting Pakistan in the light of the terrorist attacks in London. A compromise of just one ODI in Karachi might be acceptable, but this could be quashed by player unrest.

"I had impromptu talks with Shaharyar Khan at Lord's and the boards were in agreement about the itinerary for the tour," Morgan said at the weekend. "Now all we are awaiting is approval from the Pakistan government. I would hope that we will be able to confirm the schedule within the next few days."

England's concerns have been exacerbated by the revelation that several of the suicide bombers who attacked London are reported to have had close links to groups in Pakistan which have been linked with terrorism. In the aftermath of the attacks, President Musharraf order a clampdown on suspected militants, with police making more than 300 arrests.

It seems that for the second successive winter ECB officials will be attempting to convince players to trust their security assessments. In 2004 it was Zimbabwe, and now it is Pakistan. At the back of the ECB's thoughts will be the threat of a tit-for-tat cancellation of next summer's tour by Pakistan if England decide not to honour their commitment.