ICC hits back over Pakistan World Cup claims

The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday hit back at Pakistan over a legal challenge launched by the Asian giants after they were stripped of matches in the 2011 World Cup.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said lat week it would challenge the ICC decision to move matches out of the country over security fears. The PCB branded the decision legally flawed.

But the ICC Board said yesterday that they had not decided to remove the PCB as a joint host of the event, but only that the matches assigned to the PCB should be played outside Pakistan.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "We are naturally disappointed that the PCB has chosen to pursue its grievance with the ICC through legal channels but, having received correspondence from its lawyers, we have now responded.

"We used our response to clarify inaccuracies and misunderstandings in the PCB's claim, including confirmation of the fact that the agenda and the Board papers for the recent ICC Board meetings did very specifically raise the question of whether the World Cup 2011 matches assigned to the PCB as joint hosts should be relocated outside of Pakistan.

"We also pointed out that the ICC Board agreed only that the matches should be moved away from Pakistan, not that the PCB should be removed from its position as a joint host of the event itself.

"The suggestion the ICC Board was not empowered to decide that matches should be moved away from Pakistan and that such a decision was 'legally flawed' is also incorrect and without foundation."

The ICC insisted that concerns over security were paramount.

"We need to deliver a tournament that is safe, secure and, above all, successful and it was on that basis that the decision was taken that matches could not be played in Pakistan," added Lorgat.

"We hope the PCB realises that by attempting to pursue the matter through legal channels, it will result in the diversion of funds and resources better served to ensure a safe, secure and successful tournament in 2011, something that will benefit all our members, including Pakistan."