World Cup 2011
PCB to meet board chiefs over WC dispute
May 21, 2009
The PCB will sit down with the ICC and World Cup hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in Dubai on June 3 to try and reach an out-of-court settlement over the 2011 World Cup dispute that saw Pakistan's share of matches taken away over security concerns. Since the decision in April - taken after the terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka in Lahore in March - Pakistan and the ICC have been locked in a legal wrangle; the PCB filed a notice over the decision, calling it discriminatory and illegal and arguing that the correct procedures had not been followed. The meeting is the first indication of any kind that the impasse may be resolved outside of a courtroom.
The meeting will be attended by ICC president David Morgan, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, and top officials from the BCCI, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president and Morgan's chosen successor, will also be part of the meeting.
It appears to be the result of Butt's recent trips to Sri Lanka and India, where he met DS de Silva, the SLC chairman, and Pawar to drum up support and discuss Pakistan's case. After the spate of legal action - which included filing a case in a Lahore civil court against the removal of the World Cup secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai and also referring the entire matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne - relations between the PCB and the ICC, as well as other members, had worsened considerably. Butt's visits were seen also as diplomatic missions to improve communications between PCB and the remaining hosts of the world cup.
"I had very detailed discussions with Mr Pawar and the meeting went well," Butt told Cricinfo. "We decided some solution has to be worked out and we will have a discussion in Dubai on June 3. David Morgan, Mr Pawar and the heads of SLC and BCB will all be there as we discuss the situation and work towards a solution."
