International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Cup Organising Committee, headed by former cricket board president Sharad Pawar, on Tuesday decided to shift the 2011 World Cup secretariat to Mumbai from Lahore, after Pakistan was stripped of their 2011 World Cup hosting rights by the ICC earlier this month due to security concerns.
At the end of Organising Committee’s meeting, ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat announced, India would now host 29 matches to be played at eight venues, including the final and one semi-final, while Sri Lankawould host 12 matches in three venues, including a semi-final.
Bangladesh would host the opening ceremony of the 2011 World Cup as well as eight matches, which would be played on two venues, Lorgat said.
"We are confident of organising a very successful World Cup," Lorgat added.
According to AFP’s report, The organising committee will include an operations and planning group comprising Bangladesh official Mahboob Alam, Indian board secretary N. Srinivasan, Sri Lanka’s Duleep Mendis and Shetty.
Lorgat swept aside questions on whether Pakistan would boycott the World Cup in protest at being denied hosting rights, saying "we will cross the bridge when we come to it."
The meeting was convened to revamp the World Cup schedule since Pakistan were no longer the co-hosts of the mega event following the ICC’s, decision on April 17.
When the Organising Committee was formed two years ago, Pakistan Cricket Board’s representative was chosen as its convenor. The secretariat was also to be situated at Lahore with Pakistan being one of the co-hosts then.
In the aftermath of the of March 3 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, the ICC’s Executive Board decided to strip the country of its hosting rights.
The ICC’s decision has left India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as the three sub-continental co-hosts of the mega event.
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