The ICC will consider allowing Pakistan to “outsource” its allocation of 2011 World Cup matches to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, according to David Morgan, the ICC chairman. Delegates from the ICC and the four host nations held a four-hour meeting at Lord’s on Monday to discuss the issues arising from the March 3 terror attack outside the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore, and their impact on Pakistan’s ability to host World Cup matches.
The ICC confirmed Pakistan would not host matches at the 2011 tournament, but the PCB could remain on the tournament organising committee if its matches are relocated to United Arab Emirates. Alternatively, Pakistan’s original allocation of matches could be shared between the other host nations - India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Morgan said a final decision could be made in the next fortnight and the PCB has agreed to defer legal proceedings against the ICC while negotiations are taking place.
“The meeting went well,” PCB president Ijaz Butt told Cricinfo.
Re: Pakistan could 'host' World Cup matches in UAE
good stuff. Pakistan has legitimate security reasons for the venue being shifted to India, in light of security concerns to its citizens who might want to attend.
LONDON: The International Cricket Council has agreed to pay the Pakistan Cricket Board a fee of more than $10 million as a World Cup co-host, despite Pakistan being stripped of its scheduled 14 limited-overs matches for security reasons.
Pakistan lost the rights to stage its share of the 2011 World Cup matches in April due to security fears in the wake of an attack on the Sri Lankan team by gunmen in Lahore.
Each World Cup host country is guaranteed a payment of $750,000 for every allocated match, and co-hosts Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka accepted at an ICC meeting in London on Monday that if any of Pakistan’s 14 matches were to take place in their countries, they would not be due a fee for hosting them.
‘There was a great deal of sympathy within the meeting for Pakistan’s position, as the issues its cricket administrators face are completely beyond their control,’ ICC president David Morgan said in a statement.
‘What we need to do is to settle this matter as quickly as possible within the ICC family as we need to press on with our preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup, which is less than two years away.’
After the meeting , which included ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat and representatives of the four World Cup hosts, Morgan said he hoped the issue of relocating Pakistan’s share of the matches – including a semi-final – would be finalised ‘in the coming days.’
Another meeting comprising Morgan, ICC vice president Sharad Pawar of India and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is due to be held in London on Friday.
‘We had constructive discussions and I will look to follow them through with Mr. Pawar and Mr. Butt in the coming days so we can identify the best means of coming up with a recommendation on where the matches originally scheduled to take place in Pakistan can be held,’ Morgan said.
The ICC did not rule out the United Arab Emirates as a potential venue.
‘There are already four host nations, there could be a fifth,’ Morgan said.
The UAE has expressed its willingness to stage Pakistan’s share of matches after successfully organising a five-match limited-overs series between Pakistan and Australia in April-May.
‘If asked (by the PCB), we are willing to organise all its international matches including the World Cup,’ Abu Dhabi Cricket Council’s chief executive Dilawar Mani said last month. —Agencies
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