Strained PCB-ICC relations behind 2011 WC loss: Shaharyar

Terming the International Cricket Council's decision to shift the 2011 World Cup matches from Pakistan as "hasty", former Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan said the strained relations between the PCB and the ICC played a big role in the it.

Shaharyar, who was Chairman between 2003 and 2006 and is a former foreign secretary and retired career diplomat, also said the PCB's stance on the Indian Cricket League players perhaps did not go down well with the ICC or the Indian Board.

"The relations between the two have not been particularly good in recent times especially after we criticised their match referee, Chris Broad following the attack on the Sri Lankan team and his subsequent statements on the incident," Shaharyar told PTI in an interview.

"As far as the decision is concerned, I think the ICC and its members should have waited for five to six months to see how the security and political scenario developed in Pakistan and then should have taken the important decision on the World Cup matches," he added.

He pointed out that under ICC regulations the sport's world governing body needed to take a decision on venues 15-months before a World Cup tournament.

"The tournament is still nearly two years away and the ICC I think had time to hold on to a decision. Their decision to move the matches away from Pakistan at this stage were a bit hasty," he said.

"I don't think the ICC or its members realise the impact this decision will have on Pakistan cricket and its future. It is certainly not going to help us.

"More patience should have been shown by everyone. If they wanted they could have moved away the central secretariat from Lahore to any of the other joint host countries but delayed a decision on the shifting of matches," Shaharyar said.

But he admitted that the attack on the Sri Lankan team (last month in Lahore) also contributed to the World Cup decision. "It was a big security lapse that allowed the incident to happen.

"If Sri Lanka's tour had gone ahead smoothly it could have paved the way for other foreign teams to visit Pakistan and also saved the World Cup matches."

Shaharyar admitted that after the attack due to a big security lapse it was difficult to convince teams to play in Pakistan. But the former Chairman said the Board should have done its homework in a better manner before attending the ICC meeting in Dubai.

"The PCB should have attended the meeting after lobbying support of other member countries atleast they should have convinced them in asking the ICC to delay a decision in this regard."

Shaharyar said the moving of the World Cup matches was a personal disappointment for him as it was during his time that the ICC awarded the tournament to the four South Asian countries.

"At that time there was lot of changes taking place in the Indian board and it was the PCB which took the initiative to offer to host the 2011 World Cup while India joined us later," Shaharyar stated.

He also made it clear that it was not possible for Pakistan to host World Cup matches at any neutral venues including Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

"It is okay to host bilateral series but not different teams in a World Cup," he added.

Shaharyar said he was surprised that in these testing times for Pakistan cricket, the other World Cup hosts, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh didn't come forward to support Pakistan.

"It says a lot. Because in the tenures of myself and before me Lt. General (retd) Tauqir Zia the political relations between Pakistan and India were not exemplary but we had both succeeded in keeping good relations with the Indian board and that strategy worked in our favour as India later toured Pakistan in 2004," he said.