Australia could end up sending a second-string team to the Champions Trophy in September this year with many players threatening to boycott the ODI tournament.
Sources close to The Herald learnt that several leading Australian players are willing to miss out the Champions trophy rather than tour a country which has been deemed unsafe.
“It is going to come down to the individual’s decision,” said one member of the team. “We have talked about it, and there are some guys who will go if security advice says it’s OK. But there are others who have said they won’t go, regardless. At this stage, we are waiting to hear more.”
Earlier this year, Australia postponed their tour of Pakistan citing security concerns, with all rounder Andrew Symonds speaking publicly about their fears.
CA is aware of its players’ concerns but has publicly stated its preference for the team to play in Pakistan in accordance with the ICC’s wishes. Chief executive James Sutherland is expected to discuss a confidential ICC security report on Pakistan at an ICC executive meeting in Dubai next month.
Haddin, who was the captain of the Australia-A team which toured Pakistan in 2005, said he was ready to go should security advisers deem it safe.
“There are obviously a lot of different circumstances there now,” Haddin said. “But once you do your pre-tour visit and get your go-ahead by Cricket Australia and all the powers that be you’ve got to put your trust in them.”
South Africa has been chosen as the alternative venue after the political situation in Sri Lanka, the earlier alternative, intensified.
Bunch of leeches. Even after ICC have publicly backed Pakistan to host Asia Cup and Champions Trophy, after sending security delegates to assess the safety concerns and giving a green signal after, Australia and Tim May, who was the one jumping on Shoaib Akhtar's dope-handling case, have been finding reasons not to visit. What is the guarantee that they will fulfill their word and play a test series on our soil next year? This is after Pakistan received the backing from ICC. All the talk of having security clashes in the country and potential bomb threats are not going to lead anyone, anywhere. I find it insane that CA have found yet another loophole to send a second-string team to Pakistan, and even that, threatened and warned us prior to doing so. Success comes at a price, but it should not be over the top. The start date of Champions Trophy is 9/11. More reasons to send your B and C-teams. It is better if we boycott all our future tours programme with Australia and cut ties with them altogether like we did in Darrell Hair's case. How long does Pakistan have to be bought and sold cheap on the headlines by them? New Zealanders have started to go that same path now, but not as hostile. Someone from PCB have to take a strong stance on Cricket Australia for once.
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
its just the money they care abt …
**5 blasts in Jaipur during IPL **… n not a single player left india
7/7… n no 1 left england …
home made gas cylinder explode in jhoopar patti in pakistan … ohh.. no to worry … no 1 was touring Pakistan any way 
It is interesting to note that while CA is quite happy and even prefers the team to play in Pakistan, the Aussie players think otherwise
If the Asia Cup is a success with no major incidents, the Aussies will have no real excuse for not touring Pakistan. All their imagined fears and concerns will be exposed as nothing but a bunch of lies
ICC President Ray Mali hails Pakistan as ‘great host’ for ICC event
Daily Times
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\19\story_19-6-2008_pg2_1
Dawn
http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/19/spt2.htm
ICC impressed but no final decision yet, says Dave Richardson (ICC Acting Chief Executive)
http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/19/spt1.htm
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
**Ponting speaks of Australia’s Pakistan concerns
**
Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting said his side and others still had security concerns about Pakistan, and was undecided about competing in the Champions Trophy, newspapers reported Friday.
Ponting said he did not yet know if Australia would travel to Pakistan for the September tournament, and that some players might opt out even if the trip went ahead.
The skipper’s comments raise the prospect of the year’s most prestigious 50-overs tournament being tarnished by withdrawals.
“We don’t know if we’re going. And if we do go, we don’t know if individuals are going to pull out,” Ponting was quoted saying.
“It just won’t be Australian players. There will be a few other teams who will be thinking long and hard if the tour does go ahead,” he said from the West Indies, where he is currently leading the Australian team.
“I’m sure some of the England players will have some concerns, I’m sure a lot of the New Zealand players who have been confronted with this stuff before, in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will have some pretty serious concerns.”
Australia put off a March-April tour after several Australian players hesitated after a series of suicide deadly bombings in the run-up to Pakistan’s national elections.
International Cricket Council acting chief executive Dave Richardson said on Wednesday that Pakistan would host the Champions Trophy in September provided there were no safety and security fears.
Ponting said Australia’s players would make their own decisions on whether to tour Pakistan, even if the tournament is given the green light by their employers.
A number of players, notably Andrew Symonds, were prepared to withdraw from the Test and one-day tour earlier this year before it was postponed.
“If Cricket Australia and the players’ association decide that we go, then it will be an individual’s decision, as every tour is,” Ponting said.
“I don’t think the Australian cricket team are going to be any different than any other Australian that is thinking about touring Pakistan.”
The Australian newspaper Friday reported that an Australian security consultant is heading to Pakistan next week to assess the situation.
The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations chief executive Tim May was reported on Monday as saying “absolutely nothing” had changed in Pakistan since Australia abandoned its tour three months ago.
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
Nakhrey-baazi and Dramey -baazi by Ponting and co. ..... In india and england few years bck they had no such worries although blasts took place in the cities where they played ..... money talks :(
i just hope they send in a 2nd or 3rd string team or none at all
Things should go ahead as planned and i hope ICC dumbheads will stick with Pakistan
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
None of these aussie wussies left India during IPL when Jaipur bombs went off. Why worry now?
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
I knew they are bunch .....
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
i support australian NZ teams concerns and fully support if they decided to boycott champions trophy. however, wht i don't understand is why aussies want its second-string-team to tour pakistan. if risks to a-team are high then won't they be moderate for team-b and if thats the case then clearly australia is undervalueing the lives of its b-team players. which is simply pathetic. they should either do a complete boycott or let its national team participate. there should be no grey area when it comes to anyone's safety.
None of these aussie wussies left India during IPL when Jaipur bombs went off. Why worry now?
It is not about India and Pakistan. I don't believe the players have anything personal against Pakistan.
In fact after the Jaipur blasts, there was indeed some murmurings about some foreign players/officials wanting to pull out.
The fact is that foreigners have rarely been targetted by the terrorists in India , unlike in Pakistan.
Also, unlike India, Pakistan is an Islamic country and has been a "key player" in the events in the aftermath of Sep 11.
As an outsider who has never visited Pakistan, if I was a gora I would be wary of travelling to Pakistan too. Its not about the ground reality in Pakistan, its about how Pakistan is percieved from the outside.
pak is not that bad u know. once in awhile ppl do come back alive from pak so maybe all is not well but those who come back alive certainly are. 
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
australia
NZ
ENG
all are concerned and may boycott the tournament. i think its time for PCB to realize that no one gives a hoot about them n should just stop hosting tournaments in the future. no one cares nor anyone will miss team-pak.
pak is not that bad u know.
I did not say Pakistan is 'bad' or 'good'....all I am saying is how it is "percieved" in the western world (vis-a-vis India, since Funguy mentioned the Jaipur blasts). "Perception" is all that matters.
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
Indians are often percieved of as edit:not fragrant.](http://www.google.com) Would you be okay with people making decisions based on that perception? after all perception is all that matters right
edit: removed on moderator's request.
:halo:
I didnt say Indians are smelly, so please keep your umbrage to yourself. I said they are “percieved” as edit:not fragrant, with a link provided for a google search of “indians are not fragrant”](http://www.google.com). change that to pakistanies and please tell me whether there is a comparable number of hits. I’ll save you the trouble of a lookup, the ratio is 90:1.
So now that we’ve established that there is a difference in perception, regardless of reality, and given that you place such emphasis on “perception” versus reality (“perception is all that matters”), do you feel its fair for others to be making decisions about indians based on the perception of smelliness?
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
edit: removed on moderator's request.
Re: Australian players threaten boycott
please respond to my post as if I am not the moderator Some1, just to level the playing field I gave up the mantle a while back.
as for trivializing the discussion, you are unable to answer exactly why you bristle at one perception, whereas justify the perpetuation of another saying "perception is everything".
you can play the victim card or you can admit you have no answer.