BY VINODE MAMCHAN

MANAGER of the West Indies cricket team Omar Khan says it is very unfortunate that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to cancel the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan.

The ICC made the decision after teams expressed security concerns and threatened to pull out if the eight-nation competition went ahead.

The ICC board held a conference call on Sunday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before announcing the decision to postpone the September 12-28 tournament—the second most important one-day cricket competition after the World Cup—for a year.

There was unanimous agreement for the tournament to be played in October 2009, ICC president David Morgan said in an ICC statement.

Khan speaking to T&T Guardian from Canada where the West Indies won the Scotia Bank tri-nation series, said: “At the end of the day cricket is the players livelihood and they want to play the game and not be inactive. We did well in Canada where we were building momentum and now to be inactive is not the ideal thing.

“The security situation across in Pakistan is not ideal at the moment and we must understand that the players safety comes first. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is likely to meet later this week to decide what can be done to keep the players in training.”

Meanwhile, Khan was high in praise of the young players who represented the region in Canada. “I thought that the young players really grabbed the opportunity with both hands and did us proud in Canada. I am very pleased with the way they came in and bought into the team’s philosophy. Xavier Marshall was the player of the tournament and he really showed that he has high class potential.”

Marshall struck a whirlwind 157 against Canada with a world record 12 sixes. Khan continued: “I was really impressed with the Australian-born Brandon Nash. He is a seasoned player having played in the Sheffied Shield and in County cricket in England and brought a lot of professionalism to the team.

“Young Leon Johnson and Kemar Roach also did well and we can expect great things from these youngsters in the future.”

The West Indies players who participated in the Scotia Bank series in Canada will return to their respective Islands today.