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There are reports that Pakistan is all set to propose neutral venues for the next World Cup, scheduled for the year 2011. Initially, Lahore was to serve as the venue of the tournament. However, last month only, International Cricket Council (ICC) said that the World Cup would have to be moved out of Pakistan, mainly because of security concerns. Following this, there were references to the plan of relocating the World Cup 2011 secretariat to Mumbai. Soon enough, there were legal moves by Pakistan, to protest against such a plan.
Ejaz Butt, Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said that all efforts were being undertaken to get the matches back on Pakistani soil. He further elaborated that PCB will submit a satisfactory security plan to the ICC for games in Pakistan, in accordance with the hosts' agreement signed by it. In case the plans do not prove satisfactory, he hinted at putting forward a proposal for a neutral venue. Butt is expected to meet officials of the South African, Zimbabwean and Australian Boards, when he visits SA, to see the IPL matches.
Butt provided the information that Pakistan was considering United Arab Emirates and Malaysia as the probable venues. Coming back to ICC, it has convened a meeting in Dubai, on June 3, to discuss the issue of World Cup 2011 location. Last week, ICC announced that if Pakistan failed to provide alternative venues for the 2011 World Cup, it would not be paid the $10.5 million hosting fee. Though Pakistan has been ruled out as the venue of 2011 championship, it remains a co-host for the event, along with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
