Lawson fears for Champions Trophy

Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has said that Australia's decision to avoid touring Pakistan may have a disastrous affect on the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan in September.

"I'm fearful for the Champions Trophy,"

Lawson said.

"The Australians have set a bad example by opting out of the tour and I'm not sure whether they would come here for the Champions Trophy."

Australia were supposed to play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international in March-April but they eventually pulled out of the commitment, citing security concerns in the wake of a series of suicide bombings in various parts of the country.

Lawson said that there was a possibility that other leading teams might follow suit. There were fears that if one or more competing teams raised any security fears then the International Cricket Council (ICC) might decide to move the Champions Trophy out of Pakistan. With Sri Lanka, the back-up hosts for the Champions Trophy also battling an insurgency by Tamil rebels, there was a likelihood that the Champions Trophy might eventually fall in the lap of South Africa. Earlier this year, the ICC was forced to take away the Women's World Cup Qualifiers from Pakistan after competing teams raised safety concerns. The tournament was later held in South Africa.

"Hopefully, things will get better and the tournament will be held in Pakistan according to schedule,"

Lawson said. On a positive note, Lawson said that he and his charges were setting their sights on the home series against Bangladesh next month. On the request of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Bangladesh agreed to play five ODIs and a Twenty20 game in April.

"It's great to know that Bangladesh have no security concerns,"

Lawson said.

"They can be a tough team to beat,"

he added. Pakistan sole assignment in 2008 so far has been a five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe at home. The hosts made a 5-0 clean sweep in the series that failed to produce any exciting cricket.

Critics are expecting a similar rout of Bangladesh but Lawson said that his team would not be taking anything for granted.

"Bangladesh have proved time and again that they are capable of producing upsets and I'm sure they would be a much tougher side than Zimbabwe."

ICC Back Australia`s Withdrawal

The International Cricket Council have endorsed Cricket Australia's decision to postpone their tour of Pakistan.

CA insist they had "no alternative" but to pull out due to security concerns after a series of bomb blasts in Pakistan in recent weeks - the latest of which occurred in Lahore and is reported to have killed 15 people.

The ICC claim the postponement was a mutual decision.

An ICC spokesman said:

"It is a joint declaration, it is not a cancellation, it is a postponement.

"Both the boards can mutually postpone a tour.

"It has happened in the past, it is a decision the boards have taken so we support it."

The ICC have the power to fine Cricket Australia if it was felt there was insufficient justification for refusing to tour.

But the ICC insist that was not on their agenda.

"No, since it was a mutual decision there is no question of the ICC imposing any fines,"

added the spokesman.

Cricket Australia told the PCB they were willing to play the three Test series - which had already been put back to March 29 and shortened to just one month - in a third country.

But the PCB instead agreed to postpone the series in the hope it could be re-scheduled in Pakistan at a later date following a week of deliberations.

Australia has not toured Pakistan since 1998 with the three Test series in 2002 staged at neutral venues in Colombo in Sri Lanka and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

No need to panic, says Sri Lanka captain

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said Monday there was no need to panic following the team's repeated batting failures in recent one-day internationals.

"What we have to remember is that all these guys have made a lot of runs in the past,"

said Jayawardene.

"Everyone takes responsibility for the failure and it is now a question of making right decisions."

World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka lost 3-2 to England in a home one-day series in October, and last month failed to qualify for the finals of a triangular tournament in Australia won by India.
Jayawardene said the batsmen had been working hard to regain form and there was no need to make major changes ahead of the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

Sri Lanka will play two Tests and three one-day internationals on the tour starting on March 17.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief Arjuna Ranatunga echoed those sentiments, saying the he was not "too much worried" about the team's performance in Australia.

"We should move on and have the team ready for the next World Cup,"

said Ranatunga, captain of the 1996 World Cup-winning squad.

The next World Cup will be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2011.