The International Cricket Council have confirmed Pakistan will host the ICC Champions Trophy despite security fears.

Several teams across the world had said they would not tour Pakistan if the Champions' Trophy is held in Pakistan because of the security concerns in the strife torn country.

Australia, England and New Zealand were the most vocal about the security situation in Pakistan but after much deliberation, the ICC finally decided the prestigious event would remain in Pakistan.

Sri Lanka had been asked to be on stand by if the tournament had to be shifted out of Pakistan. Sri Lanka Cricket chief Arjuna Ranatunga had said while his board had no problem touring Pakistan but the islanders would be ready if the event had to be held ib Sri Lanka.

Matthew Hayden and Andrwe Symonds of Australia and Jacob Oram of New Zealand had clearly said they would not want to commit touring Pakistan if the ICC went ahead with the event there.

The ICC on their part had been monitoring the security situation in Pakistan constantly and Thursday's decision to retain Paksistan as the hosts clearly showed the world governing body's faith in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

What could also have compounded the fears of several international players was the bomb blast that shook normalcy in Islamabad even as India and Sri Lanka were battling it out for the STAR Cricket Asia Cup.

The Austarlian Cricketers'Assocaition had on Wednesday issued a statement saying they were not satisfied with the security situation in Pakistan. However, apart from the lone explosion in Islamabad, there were no untoward incidents in the trouble torn nation and the tight security blanket throughtout the STAR Cricket Asia Cup was reassuring for the participating teams.

An ICC statement read: "The ICC board held a teleconference to discuss the location for this year's ICC Champions Trophy, at the end of which they reiterated their decision of 2006 to stage the event in Pakistan.

"In arriving at that position, the board considered various security reports and discussed at length the concerns of some members and stakeholders as well as the perceptions of Pakistan that may exist in some quarters.

"In recognising those concerns and perceptions, the board agreed they needed to be managed going forward, both before and during the tournament."

According to the statement, the ICC task force will "ensure the effective implementation of the recommendations of the ICC's independent security advisors", while also liaising embassies within Pakistan and other governments "on an ongoing basis to ensure effective communication and the management of any concerns that may exist".

The tournament, to be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, will be held as per the scheduled dates, from September 11 to 28.