The International Cricket Council’s decision to go ahead with plans to stage the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan is negligent, reckless and, at best, a very poor decision.

I’ve got nothing against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Pakistan as a country or the majority of their people, but I certainly won’t be going there any time soon as a civilian, and you can’t expect that high-profile cricketers would be prepared to travel to a country that cannot guarantee the safety of all concerned.

England, Australia and New Zealand have all expressed concerns over security and safety of players in Pakistan and, as it stands, will be advising their players not to travel - which I think is the right thing to do.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Pakistan over the last year, and the country continues to have problems with terrorists and militant groups. Commissioning a special task force to head up security for the tournament isn’t going to make the slightest bit of difference to these people if they want to cause the death and destruction we’ve seen in the past. The ICC are simply asking for trouble.

The PCB and ICC maintain that the event can run safely, but how can they possibly guarantee that? Do they know the plans of militant forces, or have they made arrangements with them not to bomb anywhere near Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi while the tournament is being played? It should be noted that the tournament starts on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Of course, it’s possible that there will be no problems, but it’s a very big risk to take. We’re not talking a £10 bet on an outsider in the Grand National, there are lives at stake. The PCB and ICC would do well to remember that there is more to life than staging a major tournament and grabbing the millions of pounds it brings.

This is just another example of how cricket has become over-run by money men. Everything is about money – it’s quickly becoming like football did in the 1990s with the introduction of the Premier League and major money from television and corporate sponsors.

If Pakistan stage the event, it would be the biggest cricket tournament held in the country since they co-hosted the World Cup with India in 1996. But I’m sorry, it is quite simply not stable enough to host a major tournament given the current climate.

There were bomb blasts in Islamabad and Karachi at the end of the Asia Cup in Pakistan which resulted in the death of police, and in 2002 there was a bomb blast outside the New Zealand hotel in Karachi which also resulted in loss of life. For the safety of the players and the good of the game, the tournament should be moved - there is enough time to put the changes in place and it would please the wider cricket community.

Three of the world’s top sides want it moved or will boycott and they could also have Sri Lanka on board after they refused to travel to Pakistan for a Test in recent years. You have to suspect that South Africa would also advise their players against travelling - and that would be more than half of the eight nations involved advising players not to go.

It could be the most farcical Champions Trophy yet if the ICC continues to stick to its guns. If they’re going to host it in Pakistan, they may as well not host the tournament at all.