ICC task force may meet Pakistan's prime minister

The Pakistan board has offered to organise a meeting between an ICC task force and Yousuf Gillani, the country's prime minister, in a bid to relieve fears over security ahead of the Champions Trophy in September.

"The task force will be meeting top-level government officials on its visit to Pakistan and, if possible, we will also arrange a meeting with the prime minister," Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, told the News. "We want to send a clear signal to the cricket world that every possible measure is being taken to make the Champions Trophy a grand success."

The PCB was preparing for the task force's visit. "We are already doing our homework for the trip," Naghmi said. "Once the dates are confirmed by the ICC, we will start setting up a series of meetings between the task force and top officials from the interior ministry and the security agencies."

The task force was constituted after the teleconference on July 24, when it was decided that the Champions Trophy would go ahead in Pakistan as scheduled despite security concerns. The decision was met with reservations from the players' associations from Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand, who warned of player boycotts.

The eight-man delegation is led by David Morgan, the ICC's president, and also includes Sharad Pawar (vice-president), Haroon Lorgat (CEO), IS Bindra (principal advisor), Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, representatives of ESPN-Star (the broadcasters of the event) and the board's security consultants.