Pakistan nears solution to World Cup dispute

Recent talks between ICC president David Morgan and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt raised hopes of an out-of-court truce

LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan moved closer to solving its World Cup 2011 dispute and a court Friday extended a stay order on relocating the event's headquarters out of the country, an official said.

Pakistan initiated a legal case against the International Cricket Council (ICC) after being stripped of its World Cup 2011 matches in April this year.

The ICC relocated abroad Pakistan's share of 14 matches because of security fears following attacks in its eastern city of Lahore on the Sri Lankan team on March 3.

The attacks, which left seven players and their assistant coach injured besides killing eight people, appeared to end any chance of hosting international cricket in Pakistan, where teams had already refused to tour over security fears.

But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) launched a legal fight against the re-location and won a stay order against moving the World Cup secretariat from Lahore to arch rival India's Mumbai.

Recent talks between the ICC President David Morgan and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, however, raised hopes of an out-of-court truce.

PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said Friday's extension of the stay order until September 3, awarded in the Lahore civil court, was a step in the right direction.

"The ICC requested that the stay be extended so that negotiations continue, and it's a step in the right direction because is in the interest of all that the matter is solved out of court in accordance to law," Rizvi told AFP.

Butt last week said Pakistan was on the right track to solve the matter out of court.

"We are looking toward an out of court settlement with the ICC and I am hopeful that we will settle the issue some time next month," Butt told reporters in Islamabad.

The ICC ruled out relocating the matches to a neutral venue such as the United Arab Emirates, where Pakistan played their recent international matches.

The Central Organising Committee of the World Cup 2011, in a meeting earlier this month, awarded eight of Pakistan's matches to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh -- a decision which Pakistan did not accept.

Butt also ruled out shifting the matches to neutral venues.

"There is no such clause in the agreement among the four co-hosts, so we are not pressing for playing our matches at neutral venues," said Butt, who earlier pressed for the UAE as a neutral venue for Pakistan.