No Games But Pakistan Retains Rights to £10m in World Cup Co-host Fees
The troubled nation will not host any games, but will still reap the financial benefits of being a tournament co-host
Pakistan will earn more than £10m as a host nation of the 2011 World Cup despite it yesterday being confirmed that none of the tournament's matches will be played in the country. The International Cricket Council is yet to decide on alternative venues for the 14 matches that were scheduled to be played in Pakistan before the February attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, but they have not ruled out moving games to the Middle East.
The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ijaz Butt, along with representatives of the other three host nations – Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka – met with the ICC president, David Morgan, and its chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, at Lord's today.
It was agreed that Pakistan would remain a co-host and retain its host fees of £750,000-per-game while Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka accepted that they will not be paid for hosting any games originally scheduled for Pakistan. In return the PCB agreed that any legal proceedings already launched against the ICC would remain on hold pending further discussions.
Morgan said this represented an acceptance of the status quo by the host nations: "The important thing is to remember that Pakistan remains a host nation for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. That was implicit in the decision taken in Dubai at our last board meeting," he said.
"Very clearly at the board meeting where it was decided that Pakistan would no longer be a host location for matches in the event, it was also very clear that Pakistan would retain its status as one of the host nations, so its hosting fees, for example, remain untouched."
Some or all of the games may be relocated to the three remaining host nations but the ICC president would not rule out the prospect of Pakistan's games being moved to "what may be termed a fifth country". Dubai is one possibility, but it is unclear whether the emirate would waive the £750,000 hosting fees.
Australia and New Zealand, the 2015 hosts, were briefly considered as an alternative venue, as it would give Pakistan four more years to allay security concerns but Morgan said the plans in the Indian subcontinent were "far more advanced" than those of the Australasian neighbors and it was not a solution he was willing to contemplate.
Lorgat admitted the ICC were "behind the clock" and needed to move more quickly in their preparations for a tournament that is due to take place in 20 months' time. "I'm confident that the period that we are all in London, which is the next two weeks, we should make some progress towards reaching a resolution," said the ICC chief executive, who categorically ruled out Pakistan being reinstated as a host venue in the wake of the Lahore attacks that killed six policemen and a driver, and injured seven Sri Lankan cricketers and one of their coaches.
"We have got to accept that something has occurred that has changed the cricketing landscape and naturally members are not willing to go to Pakistan. If we have the World Cup and try to schedule it in Pakistan it will not happen, because those members' teams will not participate in Pakistan."
The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ijaz Butt, along with representatives of the other three host nations – Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka – met with the ICC president, David Morgan, and its chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, at Lord's today.
It was agreed that Pakistan would remain a co-host and retain its host fees of £750,000-per-game while Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka accepted that they will not be paid for hosting any games originally scheduled for Pakistan. In return the PCB agreed that any legal proceedings already launched against the ICC would remain on hold pending further discussions.
Morgan said this represented an acceptance of the status quo by the host nations: "The important thing is to remember that Pakistan remains a host nation for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. That was implicit in the decision taken in Dubai at our last board meeting," he said.
"Very clearly at the board meeting where it was decided that Pakistan would no longer be a host location for matches in the event, it was also very clear that Pakistan would retain its status as one of the host nations, so its hosting fees, for example, remain untouched."
Some or all of the games may be relocated to the three remaining host nations but the ICC president would not rule out the prospect of Pakistan's games being moved to "what may be termed a fifth country". Dubai is one possibility, but it is unclear whether the emirate would waive the £750,000 hosting fees.
Australia and New Zealand, the 2015 hosts, were briefly considered as an alternative venue, as it would give Pakistan four more years to allay security concerns but Morgan said the plans in the Indian subcontinent were "far more advanced" than those of the Australasian neighbors and it was not a solution he was willing to contemplate.
Lorgat admitted the ICC were "behind the clock" and needed to move more quickly in their preparations for a tournament that is due to take place in 20 months' time. "I'm confident that the period that we are all in London, which is the next two weeks, we should make some progress towards reaching a resolution," said the ICC chief executive, who categorically ruled out Pakistan being reinstated as a host venue in the wake of the Lahore attacks that killed six policemen and a driver, and injured seven Sri Lankan cricketers and one of their coaches.
"We have got to accept that something has occurred that has changed the cricketing landscape and naturally members are not willing to go to Pakistan. If we have the World Cup and try to schedule it in Pakistan it will not happen, because those members' teams will not participate in Pakistan."
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