The next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan is likely to be staged at only two cities after Rawalpindi was all but ruled out as a venue by a top ICC official on Monday. “It is a strong possibility that we reduce it two venues (Karachi and Lahore),” Haroon Logart, ICC chief executive said. Karachi and Lahore hosted 13 Limited-overs internationals during the Asia Cup from June 24 to July 6 without incident. While ICC security officials visited Karachi and Lahore during the Asia Cup, they did not travel to Rawalpindi. “During the Asia Cup there were no fixtures at Rawalpindi,” Logart said. “That didn't provide us an opportunity to check the security arrangements, so there was no way we can formulate an opinion on Rawalpindi. “We are trying to explore whether if we use only Lahore and Karachi,” the South African said. Rawalpindi was originally scheduled to host five matches – including a semifinal. However, Logart said a revised itinerary will be released in the next couple of days with Lahore and Karachi sharing Rawalpindi's matches. Logart is leading a six-member ICC delegation – that includes Federation of International Cricketers Association president Tim May – to check the security arrangements at Lahore and Karachi. The delegation met for almost an hour Monday at the Pakistan Interior Ministry, where they were given briefing on the security arrangements. “It was a very constructive meeting, very informative,” Logart said. “The attitude and willingness of the Pakistan government officials to implement security measures was very positive.” May had expressed his reservations over the players' safety in Pakistan, while Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds and England captain Kevin Pietersen had also raised doubts over touring Pakistan for the Sept. 11-28 tournament. Logart refused to give details whether May expressed any reservations during the meeting. “It's not proper for me to single out any one person in the meeting,” he said. “We all share the same concerns, we have to ensure the safety of the players, the media and the concerns were all common.” The delegation was to visit Lahore later Monday where it was scheduled to witness a dress rehearsal of travel arrangements for ferrying teams from the cricket ground to their hotel. They will also watch a similar drill at Karachi on Tuesday. Australia is the defending champion in the biennial tournament which also includes South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand, India, the West Indies and Pakistan. – AP __
