Next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan has been postponed, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

"The ICC Board today agreed unanimously to postpone the ICC Champions Trophy...until October 2009," the world governing body said in a statement.

"Pakistan will retain the right to host the tournament but it was agreed that if other members continued to express reservations over issues of safety and security then the ICC Board would have the right to decide about the tournament's location," the statement added.

The decision followed a teleconference of the ICC's executive board in Dubai.

South Africa pulled out of the eight-nation tournament scheduled for September 12-28 on Friday despite assurances from an ICC task-force that acceptable security arrangements were in place.

England, Australia and New Zealand had also expressed their concerns about security after a series of suicide bombings.

ICC President David Morgan said in the statement: "There was complete support and sympathy for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the situation it finds itself in, which is not of its making.

"However, there was also a realization that, under the current circumstances, some of the teams due to compete in the ICC Champions Trophy had reservations about touring there which could not be removed."

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily August 25, 2008)