Pakistan may not host Champions Trophy

Pakistan may not host the Champions Trophy tournament next year due to security concerns, a top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board said Wednesday.

“Everybody knows about the present security situation in Pakistan,” PCB chairman PCB Ijaz Butt told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore. “We have to look for alternatives if the security situation does not improve.”

The International Cricket Council decided in August to postpone the limited-overs tournament for a year. It was originally scheduled to take place in Pakistan in September this year but leading cricket nations - including Australia, South Africa and England - expressed security concerns.

Pakistan’s new president, Asif Ali Zardari - who is also the patron of the board - appointed the 70-year-old Butt for a three-year term Tuesday.

Hundreds of people have died in the recent spate of suicide bombings in Pakistan, including 53 at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last month.

ISLAMABAD, AP