Australia hope an International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai last night will provide some ''clarity'' on security issues threatening the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

Australia are defending champions in the biennial event but the Australian Cricketers' Association has advised its players that touring Pakistan for the 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 and it was too late to make a switch.

ACA chief Paul Marsh said yesterday if the tournament were to go ahead in Pakistan, Cricket Australia 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 said. ''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 yesterday Australia had yet to make a formal decision.

''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.''

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.

Lorgat said on Tuesday night 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 if they travel to Pakistan. AAP