Aussies pay tribute to Manchester victims

Australia's cricketers have paid tribute to the victims of the Manchester bombing, taking part in a nationwide minute's silence on Thursday morning (UK time).

People around the United Kingdom were urged to pause at 11am local time on Thursday to remember the 22 people that died at a concert in Manchester on Monday night.

The Australian team halted their training session at The Oval in south London to gather in the middle of the ground and acknowledge the tragedy. Players moved from the nets and the outfield where they were training, gathering in a circle along with the team's support staff.

The England and South Africa teams observed a minute's silence before their match on Wednesday at Headingley, where the flags flew at half-mast.

"A lot of guys were upset by what happened and we dedicate this game to them," England allrounder Moeen Ali said after the home side's victory.

The ICC released a statement earlier this week, acknowledging the victims and saying security would be a top priority throughout the tournament, which starts next week.

"The ICC and ECB place safety and security at the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Women’s World Cup this summer as the highest priority," they said.

"We operate on advice from our Tournament Security Directorate - in conjunction with the ECB and relevant authorities - to ensure that we have a robust safety and security plan for both tournaments. We will continue to work with authorities over the coming hours and days and review our security in line with the threat levels. 

"The security situation has been very much front and centre of our preparations and we constantly review our procedures to guarantee they are as effective as possible to keep everyone safe."

Australia won't be in Manchester during this tour for the Champions Trophy, which will be held in London, Birmingham and Cardiff.

The Australian cricket team was also in the UK for the 2005 Ashes when London was attacked in the 7/7 bombings.

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy squad named so far

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh.

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

Schedule

Warm-up matches

26 May – Australia v Sri Lanka, The Oval

27 May – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Edgbaston

28 May – India v New Zealand, The Oval

29 May – Australia v Pakistan, Edgbaston

30 May – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston

30 May – Bangladesh vs India, The Oval

Tournament

1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (Day)

2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (D)

3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (D)

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)