The ICC is likely to give a green signal to Pakistan to host the Champions Trophy in September when it meets on Sunday.

Various newspapers and media agencies have quoted sources saying that the International Cricket Council's security consultants Nicholls Steyn & Associates are believed to have given a "green signal" to Pakistan and that all three venues - Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi - are safe to host matches.

The ICC is meeting on Sunday at Dubai for a final security briefing along with the other cricket boards and barring some stiff opposition from some member nations, the governing body for world cricket is expected to repose its faith in the PCB.

The timing of this briefing cum meeting was decided during the ICC's annual conference, in early July, to allow the ICC's security consultants to provide a complete report of arrangements at the Asia Cup. This was not possible previously as that tournament was still ongoing.

"It was already decided at the ICC board meeting that the eight cricket boards will be given a presentation about the Asia Cup security as well as the overall security report prior to the ICC Champions Trophy," said Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC's media manager.

The briefing is the result of a number of players, especially from Australia, England and South Africa expressing their reservation about touring Pakistan. In fact, earlier this year, Australia had postponed a first full tour of Pakistan in a decade to next year due to growing violence in some parts of Pakistan.

Australia had also sent in an independent security consultant Reg Dickason to assess the situation in Pakistan and his report will also be tabled at this meeting.

The Pakistan Cricket Board though is quite confident of its security measures and Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, said there was absolutely no reason for the tournament to be shifted after the recent successful Asia Cup went off without any security hiccups.

"We have assured fool-proof security measures for the Champions Trophy, There is no reason for us to believe that the tournament will be relocated from Pakistan," Naghmi told a Pakistan daily.

The BCCI will be represented by secretary Niranjan Shah and chief administrative officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty. Though the Indian board has not divulged any details of whether they would go for Pakistan as the hosts, it is believed that in all probability it will vote in favour of Asian solidarity.

Sri Lanka is the official alternative venue, though some reports suggest that South Africa and now England are also in the running.

Apart from the representatives from participating countries, representatives of the ICC's Broadcast Partner ESPN STAR Sports and the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) have also been invited to attend the briefing.