Pakistan hits back in World Cup row

Published on Tuesday 1 September 2009 22:45

THE Pakistan Cricket Board has sought to downplay criticism of their handling of the dispute with the International Cricket Council over 2011 World Cup hosting rights, with chairman Ijaz Butt reiterating that the PCB had secured the best possible deal.

The PCB had launched a legal battle with the ICC after the world body had moved their share of 14 matches from the 2011 World Cup out of the country due to security and safety concerns. The matches were redistributed between co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. However, last week, after protracted negotiations with the ICC, the PCB decided to terminate their legal battle and instead agreed to an out-of-court settlement which was based on financial compensation for the loss of matches.

The move came in for criticism, notably from former National Cricket Academy director Aamir Sohail.

"It is unfortunate that people are criticising the PCB over this settlement, which guarantees income to the board," Butt said.

"We must understand and accept the ground realities here. It is naive to portray this as PCB's failure especially considering the current security situation in the country.

"It was imperative for us to protect our income and we managed it successfully."

Butt said the PCB's decision to withdraw their legal challenge was the right one as it resulted in a higher financial compensation.

"Had the legal action gone in our favour, it would have resulted in a much lesser amount in damages for the PCB," Butt stated.