Age Correspondent
New Delhi, June 26: The International Cricket Council on Friday ruled out shifting Pakistan’s share of the 2011 World Cup matches to a neutral venue, reaffirming that the games taken away from the troubled nation on security grounds will be held in the other three co-host countries.
The decision was taken at an ICC board meeting at Lord’s in London, a release said. Further, the ICC also reiterated that World Cup administrative headquarters will not be shifted back to Lahore from Mumbai, as suggested by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The venues for the 14 matches that were originally set for Pakistan will now be distributed among the remaining three co-hosts — India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
However, the PCB accepted the ICC board’s offer of a task force to help ensure Pakistan retain their position in international cricket. The task team will be led by the chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board Giles Clarke and ICC general manager Dave Richardson.
Meanwhile, Pakistan vowed to fight for the right to co-host the 2011 World Cup matches after the country was stripped of the games by the sport’s world governing body.