Australia hope an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Dubai will provide some "clarity" on security issues which threaten the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Australia are defending champions in the biennial event but the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) has recommended to its players that touring Pakistan for the eight-nation tournament starting on September 12 is not safe because of civil unrest.
Sri Lanka is a possible alternative venue but ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the tournament would be staged in Pakistan as scheduled and it was too late to make a switch.
ACA chief Paul Marsh said if the tournament was to go ahead in Pakistan, Cricket Australia (CA) would be likely to decide on behalf of its players to abandon the tour.
“If not it will come down to a decision from the players,” Marsh told AAP.
“Our position is that we can't recommend that our players should tour Pakistan.
“Our safety concerns are very much based on the report that was supplied by the ICC and the report of the FICA (world players' body) Commission which the Pakistan board has and the report that Reg Dickason completed for Cricket Australia."
CA spokesman Peter Young said Australia had yet to make a formal decision on contesting the tournament.
“We have considerable reservations, as do our players and the Australian Cricketers' Association,” Young said.
“The ICC understands the considerable reservations that we, New Zealand, England, South Africa and perhaps some others hold.
“We have been advised that they (ICC) will meet on the 20th of August to consider that situation.
“We're hoping that the ICC will give us some advice ... some sort of certainty within the next 24 hours about what the next step in this process is.
“Hopefully that will allow greater clarity about what's going on and we can all get on with making the decisions that we need to make.”
Young said the safety of employees was a fundamental principle for CA.
“We will not put them in a situation if we get specialist advice that tells us that it's not safe to do that,” he said.
“The security advice does not give us any great encouragement at the moment.”
Last week ICC officials met in Melbourne with CA, the ACA and Australian captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Michael Clarke.
“We discussed with them our concerns about the advice that we have got (on security), which would appear to be contrary to their advice to us, and we are waiting now for their response,” Young said.
“If it comes to pass that it is suggested we go to Sri Lanka then we would need to have a look at that issue on the same basis that we have looked at the Pakistan issue.”
Lorgat said overnight in London "As far as we are concerned the tournament continues in Pakistan."
Lorgat, a South African, has promised "a presidential level of security" for Australia's players in Pakistan.
Australia's participation remains in doubt even if the tournament is held in Sri Lanka.
Marsh said he was likely to join Australian security consultant Reg Dickason in a pre-tour inspection of Sri Lanka if the ICC made a late decision to move the eight-team tournament there.
“Sri Lanka has its own set of problems. We haven't been through the process of analysing them yet,” Marsh said.
A travel advisory on the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website warned against visiting Sri Lanka.
“We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Sri Lanka at this time because of the very high risk of politically motivated violence," DFAT said.
