Top players may boycott Champions Trophy

Melbourne: Miffed with the ICC for retaining Pakistan as the venue for this year's Champions Trophy, the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) on Friday called on Ricky Ponting's men to pull out of the tournament.

"If it continues in Pakistan at this volatile time, unfortunately many of the world's best players won't participate, which is not a good outcome for cricket," ACA chief Paul Marsh said in a statement.

"Based on the independent information and advice received, we maintain that the risks are simply too great for the ACA to recommend that our players tour Pakistan at this time.

"We would expect Cricket Australia to adopt the same position," he added.

The ICC, after a teleconference with the eight participating nations on Thursday, decided to retain Pakistan as the venue despite opposition from the cricket boards of Australia and England.

Marsh said ICC's decision was disappointing and despite security reports giving an all-clear, Pakistan remained a risky place to hold the biennial event.

"The ACA continues to have serious concerns with our players touring Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and we are disappointed with the ICC's decision," Marsh said.

Marsh said the ACA was trying to get more information on the ICC task force that would coordinate with embassies of the participating nations to ease their security concerns.

"We are seeking clarity on the purpose and role of the proposed task force, so we are unable to comment on it at this stage," he said.

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