ICC to decide on 2011 World Cup host next year

SYDNEY—The International Cricket Council (ICC) said a decision on the host country for the Cricket World Cup 2011 will be made next year. Australia was considered a front-runner to stage the game’s showpiece tournament, but reports Tuesday said a push has come from the subcontinent’s four cricketing nations — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — because they generate more funds for world cricket than Australia.
Under cricket’s unofficial rotation system, Australia has been expected to host the tournament in six years’ time, having last hosted it, along with New Zealand, in 1992.
The ICC discussed the issues at its two-day board meeting which ended here Tuesday and said the final decision on the host would be taken at its annual conference at Lords next June. “No decision was made on awarding any event to any country or countries post-2007 and no submissions to stage any such events were received,” the ICC said in a statement after the meeting.
“It was agreed that any country or countries wishing to be awarded an ICC event would have to provide evidence of compliance in four key areas related to holding such an event — tax, facilities, visas and venues”.
The ICC Board also discussed an invitation from the Organising Committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi for cricket to take part in the Games.
There was an update on the potential role of 20/Twenty cricket in international cricket and a discussion on the feasibility of changing from the current five-year playing calendar to a six-year calendar.
The ICC Board said it had asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to meet with the local Organising Committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi to discuss crickets participation in the event and the appropriate format.
The BCCI was asked to come back to the ICC Board with its recommendations concerning crickets participation in the Games.
The ICC said the potential role of 20/Twenty cricket in the international playing calendar was also discussed and the Board viewed research from the England and Wales Cricket Board and the United Cricket Board of South Africa.
“The Board decided to ask ICCs management to conduct further work on the subject ahead of further discussions at the next Board meeting, in March 2006,” the ICC said.
The ICC said it was encouraged by a report on the practicality of replacing the current five-year international playing calendar with a six-year schedule.
The Board asked the its management to continue its work on the subject and the matter will be discussed again at the next Board meeting next March.—Agencies