England could host next year's scheduled cricket tests between Australia and Pakistan.
Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed discussions had been underway for several weeks before Tuesday's terror attack in Lahore.
The attack forced the immediate cancellation of the Sri Lankan test tour and there are now fears that Pakistan will not host international teams for as long as a generation.
CA spokesman Peter Young said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had initiated the discussions about the test matches going ahead in England.
"Pakistan has accepted for some time that we aren't able to visit because of the safety and security concerns in that nation," Young said.
"Pakistan has started the discussion about playing three test matches at neutral venues in England in 2010.
"It's a work in progress, the PCB is responsible for coming up with the arrangements, but in principle we've been comfortable and (we're) talking with them.
"But it is very early days."
Young said one of the strong attractions of England as a venue is that the north of the country has a strong expatriate Pakistan population.
"One of the downsides to neutral venues is quite often you don't get people turning up at the stadium -- because wherever you are, the locals don't have a home-team interest," he said.
Britain's sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has said in the wake of the Lahore attack that England could act as a temporary home for the Pakistan team.
Pakistan is due to "host" Australia for five one dayers and a Twenty20 from late next month in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the Middle East.
CA is sending a pre-inspection tour party to the venues this week to look at safety and security, among other factors.
New Zealand's scheduled three-test and five ODI tour of Pakistan in November-December may also be held in Abu Dhabi.
