PCB to skip 2011 World Cup committee meeting

Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to skip the meeting of 2011 World Cup central organising committee to be held in Mumbai on Wednesday.

A board official on Tuesday told PTI since Pakistan no longer holds any hosting right of the tournament after its out of the court settlement with the ICC, it would be a futile effort to attend the meeting.

Initially it was decided that PCB chairman Ejaz Butt and senior officials Wasim Bari and Subhan Ahmed would attend the meeting.

"The decision to attend the meeting was taken before the final settlement reached with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Since Pakistan no longer holds any hosting rights of the tournament, it would serve no purpose to attend the meeting," the official said.

"We have informed the Indian board about our decision. "It would be useless on our part to be associated with the organising committee or the World Cup secretariat now," the official added.

Pakistan had already announced its decision that it would not be nominating any representatives to work in the World Cup central secretariat that has now been shifted to Mumbai from Lahore.

PCB had challenged the ICC's decision legally in the court. Last week, the board resolved its dispute with the world governing body in which as per the agreement to be signed soon, the PCB will retain its host fees.

PCB will also receive an additional payment as reasonable compensation for loss of hosting rights that it would have enjoyed had it hosted the matches on Pakistan soil.

The PCB, on its part, had agreed to withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC. The ICC had in April decided to move 14 matches of the World Cup from Pakistan citing volatile security situation in the country.

"Effectively Pakistan is no longer a hosting partner of the World Cup so why bother attending any meetings," the official noted.