Australia relief at tour decision

Symonds (l) had expressed doubts before the tour was postponed

Australia's cricketers have expressed their relief after the planned tour to Pakistan was postponed amid serious security concerns.

Cricket Australia said it had "no alternative" but to postpone the tour, which was due to begin on 29 March.

Bowler Stuart Clark said the players had genuine fears over their safety in a country where political unrest has led to a spate of suicide bombings.

"It's probably no secret that we were really concerned," he said.

"I don't think anyone likes it when a cricket tour gets called off because that's our job, but there were obviously concerns from everyone involved.

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"We were getting third-hand information, reading papers and listening to the news on TV and were obviously getting the sensational news about bombings and stuff like that."

Several players had publicly voiced fears about the security situation in Pakistan before the decision was announced on Tuesday.

All-rounder Andrew Symonds had been the most vocal opponent, admitting in February that he would be unlikely to make himself available if the tour went ahead.

Following the news that Cricket Australia (CA) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will meet to discuss possible dates when the tour could go ahead, Australian players said they were happy the decision was taken out of their hands.

"I don't think 'disappointed' is the right word," said batsman Michael Clarke.

"I'm delighted Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association made the decision and it didn't have to come down to individual players.

I think the hardest thing was not knowing

Australia bowler Brett Lee

"I'm happy it's been sorted out without the players' involvement."

Fast bowler Brett Lee said he was pleased that a decision had finally been made.

"Each player was asked if they were keen to go or not but it just came down to the board - I think Cricket Australia did have the final say," he said.

"I think the hardest thing was not knowing - over the past couple of weeks we didn't really know what was going on, no-one was sure what tour was coming up."

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said his organisation took advice from the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Pakistani and Australian governments and independent security consultants before making a decision.

"I am not sure that there was necessarily a belief that cricketers would be specific targets," he said

"But there was enough risk for us to be sufficiently concerned to tell the Pakistanis that in the circumstances we didn't think we would be able to tour right now."

It now means that the likes of Symonds, Lee, Matthew Hayden and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting can play a larger role in the Indian Premier League, which begins on 18 April.