The ICC are expected to confirm Pakistan as the venue for this year's Champions Trophy within the next 48 hours.

The move to expunge Rawalpindi from the schedule had been expected and leaves the matches spread between Lahore and Karachi, reducing the travelling involved and thereby the possibility of flashpoints in the politically unstable region.

Meanwhile, delegations will be sent to ease the concerns of England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Worries still remain over the safety of players and officials but each of the four main objectors will have their concerns addressed by an ICC delegation, with chief executive Haroon Lorgat leading the group heading to Britain to meet England and the touring Proteas.

ICC general manager David Richardson will head up the team visiting Australia and New Zealand.

Former ECB chairman and current ICC president David Morgan said: "Our desire is to ensure that every stakeholder is content with arrangements and is comfortable with the ICC Champions Trophy taking place in Pakistan.

"To that end, it was agreed that representatives who have attended the latest briefings and demonstrations in Lahore and Karachi will visit stakeholders who have expressed reservations to let them know of the safety and security measures on the ground.

"The results of those meetings will then be fed back to me and also to the ICC Vice President Sharad Pawar and ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on 20 August so we can make a further assessment of the comfort levels of our participating members.

"We are committed to a safe and secure event in Pakistan. We believe these visits and the feedback we get from them will play a major role in us achieving those ends," he added.

The decision leaves the four nations with a tough decision to make, with reports suggesting one or more of the teams could withdraw or field weakened squads.