Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has welcomed the increasing support for holding the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Lawson, who has repeatedly highlighted that Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket in, was happy with umpire Simon Taufel's decision

The PCB has dismissed speculation that the proposed venues for the Champions Trophy won't be ready for the tournament. The venues - Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Karachi's National Stadium and the Rawalpindi Stadium - are undergoing a facelift but

The eight-man ICC task force, set up to assess and monitor the security situation in the three venues hosting the Champions Trophy, will visit Pakistan between August 10 and 12, and not on August 15 as initially expected.

Simon Taufel, the world's No. 1 umpire, will not hesitate to stand in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September. Taufel has been to the country on ten occasions, most recently for the Asia Cup in June, and is confident over the security arrangements.

Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat has signed up with Kolkata Knight Riders for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held in April 2009. Arafat, who currently plays county cricket for Kent, confirmed that he was approached by the

The Pakistan Cricket Board has allotted more than Rs 500 million to upgrade the facilities at the three Champions Trophy venues - Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore - ahead

Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir was the Indian Premier League's (IPL's) most successful bowler but he has said that it is in the Test arena that he really wants to prove himself. "If you are ranked as a player, it is solely based

The Pakistan board has offered to organise a meeting between an ICC task force and Yousuf Gilani, the country's prime minister, in a bid to relieve fears over security ahead of the Champions Trophy in September.