ICC to hold a meeting today following Manchester attack

The deadly terror attack in the city of Manchester in England has raised fears of security in the country for the cricketers who will participate in the ICC Champions Trophy in England from June 1. The tournament will see 8 teams participating including India, who will be defending their title which they won in 2013.

Though there are no games to be played in Manchester, the ICC will hold a meeting later in the day to discuss the safety and security of the players. A lot of teams are already in the country preparing for the tournament which will begin in London next week when hosts England will take on Bangladesh at the Kennington Oval.

“The ICC is concerned with what has happened in Manchester and will have a conference call later in the day with stakeholders joining from various places,” the ICC source said.

As many as 22 people were killed in the blast which took place during a pop concert performed by American Ariana Grande on Monday night. The Manchester Police has confirmed that a suicide bomber was behind the blast.

Terror last hit England more than a decade ago in 2005, when a series of blasts were carried out in the public transport system in Central London during rush hour which killed 52 people.

Manchester was targetted earlier as well 

Manchester was in line for another such deadly attack which was thwarted by the Police. This happened in 2009 when terrorists wanted to attack the Arndale shopping centre on a busy Easter bank holiday weekend.

Since the nature of the attack was to target large audience during an event, the ICC’s concern is valid. Champions Trophy is a mega-tournament with fans travelling from all corners of the world to catch live action. June 4 will witness a lot of people pile up outside the ground in a bid to capture the Pakistan V India game which is scheduled to take place at Edgbaston in Birmingham.