Peanut
Nut Head
(Pulled of Ninemsn.com.au)
Cricket Australia (CA) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have postponed Australia's tour to Pakistan scheduled this month.
Initial reports from Karachi suggested the tour was cancelled but CA issued a statement saying it had been postponed with "new dates for the tour (to) be decided in the near future."
The chairmen of the two cricket boards will meet in Dubai next weekend to further discuss possible dates for the tour, the statement said.
The announcement came on the same day there was a lethal bombing in the Pakistan city of Lahore.
The city's police chief said about a dozen people had been killed and several injured in a blast at the office of Pakistan's federal investigation agency.
Australian players have expressed their reservations over the security situation in Pakistan following a spate of violence including suicide bombings.
Commenting on the decision, CA chairman Creagh O'Connor said: "We are very sorry that the tour could not take place at this time.
"This was a difficult decision based on independent review of the circumstances prevailing in Pakistan at the moment.
"We wish no loss to Pakistan Cricket Board and look forward to undertaking this tour in the near future".
PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf said: "We are obviously very disappointed at this decision.
"I guess there is not much we could do and sincerely hope that the tour of Australia to Pakistan can materialise at the earliest opportunity."
Tuesday's explosion comes one week after two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a prestigious naval college in Lahore, killing at least five people and injuring 19, officials said.
Pakistan has been rocked by six major blasts since elections on February 18, posing a serious challenge to an incoming coalition government led by the parties of slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and former premier Nawaz Sharif.
The proposed tour had already been compressed to a month starting on March 29 and the idea of playing at a neutral venue has been floated after Australia's tour was relocated to Colombo and Sharjah in 2002.
But PCB officials have voiced their opposition to moving the tour outside of the Asian nation because of its long-term impact on cricket in the country.
Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998 and the PCB has promised to provide extra security for the Australian players.
The decision paves the way for all Australian players involved in next month's lucrative Indian Premier League to take part.
Cricket Australia (CA) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have postponed Australia's tour to Pakistan scheduled this month.
Initial reports from Karachi suggested the tour was cancelled but CA issued a statement saying it had been postponed with "new dates for the tour (to) be decided in the near future."
The chairmen of the two cricket boards will meet in Dubai next weekend to further discuss possible dates for the tour, the statement said.
The announcement came on the same day there was a lethal bombing in the Pakistan city of Lahore.
The city's police chief said about a dozen people had been killed and several injured in a blast at the office of Pakistan's federal investigation agency.
Australian players have expressed their reservations over the security situation in Pakistan following a spate of violence including suicide bombings.
Commenting on the decision, CA chairman Creagh O'Connor said: "We are very sorry that the tour could not take place at this time.
"This was a difficult decision based on independent review of the circumstances prevailing in Pakistan at the moment.
"We wish no loss to Pakistan Cricket Board and look forward to undertaking this tour in the near future".
PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf said: "We are obviously very disappointed at this decision.
"I guess there is not much we could do and sincerely hope that the tour of Australia to Pakistan can materialise at the earliest opportunity."
Tuesday's explosion comes one week after two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a prestigious naval college in Lahore, killing at least five people and injuring 19, officials said.
Pakistan has been rocked by six major blasts since elections on February 18, posing a serious challenge to an incoming coalition government led by the parties of slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and former premier Nawaz Sharif.
The proposed tour had already been compressed to a month starting on March 29 and the idea of playing at a neutral venue has been floated after Australia's tour was relocated to Colombo and Sharjah in 2002.
But PCB officials have voiced their opposition to moving the tour outside of the Asian nation because of its long-term impact on cricket in the country.
Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998 and the PCB has promised to provide extra security for the Australian players.
The decision paves the way for all Australian players involved in next month's lucrative Indian Premier League to take part.
