May 1, 2006	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 2, 1427

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DUBAI, April 30: Asia have beaten a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand for the right to host the 2011 cricket World Cup. The decision to award the event to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was made by the International Cricket Council's executive committee meeting on Sunday.

The Asian bid won by ten votes to three.

As a result of Sunday's vote the ICC have awarded the 2015 World Cup to runners-up Australia and New Zealand, with England staging the 2019 competition.

Lalit Modi, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said much now needed to be done to get the continent ready to host the cricketing showcase.

“We did a great job, the four countries put together an impressive presentation and we got 10 out of 13 votes.

“We are looking forward to it. A lot of work has to go in. A lot of infrastructure needs to be put in place. We are mentally geared up for it. We will do the task at hand.”

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland welcomed the fact that Australia and New Zealand would be jointly hosting the 2015 tournament.

“It is disappointing to miss out on the men's 2011 World Cup,” he said.

“But I am pleased that the highly professional bid we made has demonstrated to the ICC that Australasia will host a world-class tournament in 2015.”

The Asian bid had been weakened by a late submission, the four countries having been granted an extension to April 21 to present their case to the ICC after failing to meet the first deadline in March.

Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar M. Khan, said: “We are delighted to have been asked to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, it is a tremendous honour.“The submissions process has been eye-opening for all of us. I don't think we fully appreciated the volume of work that was required to produce a compliant submission and we are grateful to the ICC Board for allowing us extra time to complete this process.

“The rigour of the submissions process means we already have a good understanding of what we have to do over the next five years to be ready for the event.”

The Bangladesh representative Mohammad Ali Asghar MP said: “This is fantastic news and is a big progression for Bangladesh.

“The matches in our country will definitely keep up Bangladesh's development in world cricket and we congratulate the ICC for giving us this chance.”

Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Jayantha Dharmadasa, said: “It is difficult to find the words to express how delighted I am with this news.

“All of Sri Lanka will be thrilled with what has happened and with the problems in the country at the moment this is a very positive thing.Reflecting on the decision over the 2011 tournament, ICC President Ehsan Mani said: “On behalf of the ICC I congratulate the four Asian members on earning the right to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

“Since turning up at the ICC Board meeting in March with an unviable submission they have worked hard to satisfy the strict hosting criteria set by the ICC.

“That a compliant submission was produced ahead of the final deadline earlier this month is testament to the capacity of these four countries to work together.

“We can now prepare with confidence for what promises to be the biggest occasion that cricket fans in Asia and around the world will ever have seen.”

Meanwhile, the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship will be staged in September 2007 with a 12-team, nine-day event in South Africa, cricket officials said.

“South Africa has been an early adopter of Twenty20 cricket and will be an excellent first venue,” ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said in a statement after the venue was decided at a board meeting in Dubai.

All 10 full members of the ICC board had confirmed that they would take part next year, Speed said.

“The legacy of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 means that South Africa already has in place exceptional facilities and expertise and we are very confident that the United Cricket Board of South Africa will host a tremendous event,” he added.

South African board chairman Ray Mali said: “This is a great opportunity for South African cricket and we intend to grasp it with both hands by delivering an unforgettable experience to players and supporters in our country and around the world.”The second Twenty20 World Championship would take place in England in June 2009 and officials would then decide how often to stage the competition, the ICC said.

The board decided to limit the expansion of Twenty20 by restricting sides to a maximum of three home matches per season.

It awarded the next two editions of a streamlined ICC Champions Trophy, with eight teams taking part, to Pakistan in 2008 and the West Indies in 2010.

The board's decisions need to be ratified by the ICC's annual conference in London in July.—Agencies