Talks over Pakistan's right to host matches in the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Asia have broken down, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday. “The PCB sought the support of its fellow Asian co-hosts for matches to be played under the aegis of the PCB in a safe neutral venue,” the PCB said in a statement here. “Despite the fact that these discussions had been helpfully and constructively brokered by the International Cricket Council president David Morgan and vice president Sharad Pawar, no progress was made. This will mean that organizational issues surrounding the 2011 World Cup remain unresolved and that the legal proceedings the PCB has brought against the ICC in Dubai and in Lahore will continue,” the statement added. The PCB's response came after a meeting of officials from the four co-hosts – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – here at Lord's on the sidelines of the World Twenty20 Tournament. Pakistan had served legal notices on the ICC after being stripped of hosting rights in the wake of the militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore on March 3. The ICC had clarified earlier this week that while Pakistan was removed as a host location, the country remained a co-host and expected a final decision soon. It meant Pakistan would still get a hosting fee of 750,000 dollars per match from the ICC – a total of 10.5 million dollars for the 14 games – irrespective of where they were held. The meeting on Saturday followed talks between the ICC and the four co-hosts earlier in the week to “settle misunderstandings,” in the words of ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat. The ICC had also said that the other three host nations had agreed to forego hosting fees for the 14 extra matches allotted to them that were originally due to be held in Pakistan. “Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka all accepted that if any of those 14 matches were to take place in their countries, then they would not be due any fee for hosting them,” the governing body had said. The contentious issue is expected to be discussed at the ICC's annual meetings at Lord's from June 22-26. The ICC has ruled out switching the 2011 World Cup to Australia and New Zealand, the designated hosts of the 2015 event.
