KARACHI (Reuters) – The International Cricket Council should shift the 2011 World Cup out of Asia after Australia refused to send its Davis Cup tennis team to India, former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad said.
Miandad, director-general of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said there was no justification for the ICC to only move World Cup matches out of Pakistan while subcontinent neighbours and 2011 co-hosts India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka staged the tournament.
Pakistan have been stripped of its right to stage matches because of security concerns after six Sri Lanka cricketers were injured in an armed attack on the team bus as they travelled to a test match in Lahore last month.
Tennis Australia said on Saturday that they will not play next month’s Davis Cup tie in Chennai, India, because of security concerns.
“It is obvious by the Australian’s decision that the security situation in India is also not stable,” Miandad told Reuters yesterday.
“So why only Pakistan should be deprived of its share of World Cup matches?”
Miandad suggested holding the 2011 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and having the 2015 event in South Asia.
Miandad also said that Pakistan were perfectly capable of hosting its share of the World Cup matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi where there were no security issues.
“The ICC should reconsider the situation if we want to have our share of matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi where we are already playing our home matches,” he said.
Pakistan are hosting Australia in a one-day series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi this month.
The ICC last year postponed the Champions Trophy, the second most important 50-overs a side event, due to security concerns in Pakistan and then shifted it to South Africa to be held later this year.
