KARACHI/DUBAI: Ending weeks of uncertainty, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Pakistan would remain the host of this year's Champions Trophy and named a task force to implement recommendations of the security advisors.After a teleconference among ICC Board members that lasted two-and-a-quarter hours, the ICC said in a statement that the event would remain in Pakistan.

The Board members considered security reports and discussed concerns of some members and stakeholders before announcing that the event would not be shifted out of its original venue."In recognizing those concerns and perceptions, the Board agreed they needed to be managed going forward, both before and during the tournament. In order to do this, the Board decided to establish a task team..." the ICC statement said.

The task force would liaise with various stakeholders, including embassies within Pakistan and other Governments, on an ongoing basis to ensure effective communication and the management of any concerns that may exist.ICC President David Morgan, President-Elect Sharad Pawar, Chief Executive Officer Haroon Lorgat, the Principal Advisor I S Bindra, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Nasim Ashraf, and representatives of ICC's Broadcast Partner ESPN STAR Sports, its independent security advisors and the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) are members of the task force.

Soon after the teleconference, Ashraf told a news conference in Lahore that it was a consensus decision by the ICC Board to hold the event in Pakistan. Ashraf also singled out the Indian Cricket Board for its support to have the ICC event in Pakistan despite security apprehensions."I am thankful to all the ICC member countries, especially India, for their wisdom and looking at the larger interest of the game," PCB Chairman, Ashraf said."Pakistan remains a safe place to organize sports events and we hope it will be a world class event," he said.

"We are committed to have full security as the government of Pakistan has given its full support to organize the Champions Trophy," Ashraf said.Pakistan ran the risk of losing Champions Trophy due to security issues and top players of Australia, England and New Zealand are still apprehensive about touring the trouble-torn country for the tournament starting on September 11.ICC held a security briefing for the participating nations before deciding to hold a teleconference to find a solution.

The ICC decision to keep the Champions Trophy in Pakistan has, however, raised the possibility that countries like Australia, New Zealand and England may be forced to send second-strings teams with their top players expressing reservations about touring the country.While Pakistan had the clear support of the three other Asian members -- India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh -- players from Australia, New Zealand and England have showed reservations over participating in the tournament.