Potential for a serious split in the cricket world and a seriously devalued ICC Champions Trophy have been averted by the postponement of the competition due to take place in Pakistan next month. West Indies, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as England, told an ICC tele-conference yesterday that they were not prepared to send teams because of concern over security.

David Morgan, the ICC president, said it may still switch the tournament, now scheduled for October 2009, if countries continue to express fears over their safety. The concern is that any move will become a precedent ahead of the 2011 World Cup, which Pakistan is jointly hosting with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

English county clubs are the immediate beneficiaries. Their international players will now be available for the end of the season. Of the leading Championship contenders, Durham will have Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Paul Collingwood and Stephen Harmison while Nottinghamshire can call upon Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Samit Patel and Graeme Swann.

The impetus for staying away from Pakistan came from the players, who made reservations clear to their boards even before the ICC meeting on July 24 that decided against relocating the competition to Sri Lanka. Asian-bloc countries were determined to press ahead in Pakistan even though England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa reported that they could not guarantee to send their strongest teams if they were able to send teams at all.

Positive findings of Nicholls Steyn, the ICC security advisers, and the experiences of Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, had to be weighed against a more cautious report by Reg Dickason commissioned by the ECB, along with Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket. British Foreign Office advice on travel is not encouraging while Australia recently closed down its consulates in Karachi and Lahore, the venue cities.

Cancelling the event would have cost the ICC an estimated $80-85million (about £43-46million) in lost broadcasting fees while a switch to Sri Lanka, where the civil war has intensified, may not have assuaged all worries over safety. Sri Lanka Cricket claimed to be able to stage the event at seven days' notice but, even with three weeks to go, any move would have put a strain on ESPN Star Sports, the television rights-holders.

Shafqat Naghmi, the chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said that Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, as well as representatives of the four other anxious boards, will be invited to some part of Pakistan's home series against India, due to take place from December to February, to see security arrangements at work.

For his part, Clarke intends to meet the new chairman of the PCB, when an appointment is made, to discuss ways that the two boards can work together in the future. Clarke believes that bridges burnt over the Brit Oval Test in 2006 have been rebuilt and is keen not to allow relationships to deteriorate again.

During a meeting at Lord's last Tuesday, Clarke told Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, that the ECB has a statutory duty of care to travelling media and supporters as well as the England players. Clarke said that concerns were reinforced after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf as President of Pakistan the day before. Lorgat said yesterday: “Every one of our members wishes to ensure that the Champions Trophy is a world-class event and the prospect of relocating it at short notice in order to make sure that it was played this year would not allow that criterion to be fulfilled. The agreement provides clarity for our members.”

The postponement means that the inaugural Champions League, which includes Middlesex as winners of the Twenty20 Cup, may be brought forward from its date in December, having been switched from the end of September and early October after complaints about the proximity to the Champions Trophy.