Finally, ICC and PCB end row amicably!
It took a long time coming and when it came, it was like a breath of fresh air for the cricketing circles across the globe. The International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday amicably resolved the dispute over staging of the 2011 World Cup matches in the strife-torn nation.
As per the agreement, the PCB will retain its host fees and also receive an additional payment as reasonable compensation for loss of hosting rights that it would have enjoyed had it hosted the matches on Pakistan soil.
The PCB, on its part, has agreed to withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC. The resolution was reached during a meeting between ICC President David Morgan and PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt.
According to the agreement between the PCB and commercial arm of the world governing body “the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore.â€
“This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing,†Morgan said in a statement.
“I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC,†Morgan added.
Earlier, the ICC Board in April had stripped the host status of Pakistan, taking away the 14 matches it was originally allocated because of security situation in that country. Morgan also promised Pakistan to bring cricket back in that country as and when security improves. “When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan,†he said.
PCB chief Butt expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the talks. “The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached. We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries,†he said.
However, the PCB has not YET given up hopes of staging the WC matches in its country. Reliable sources have told a news agency that the PCB chairman Ejaz Butt has pushed for an inclusion of a clause in the final settlement document that gives PCB the hope of hosting some matches in the World Cup.
The agency also reported that the ICC President David Morgan was not keen to have the clause as he feels in the final settlement agreement Pakistan is being adequately compensated for the loss of its share of World Cup matches.
However, to do away with further complications, one might see ICC stooping further to accommodate the ever greedy Pakistan Cricket Board.
