NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – The International Cricket Council (ICC) will this week consider the security implications of last month’s ambush of the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan on the 2011 World Cup that is due to take place in the subcontinent.
The ICC board, its top decision-making body, will receive a report on the attack at a two-day meeting in Dubai from tomorrow.
“The board will consider the implications of the incident for the ICC and its members in both the immediate future and the longer term, including any potential impact on plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011,” it said in a statement yesterday.
Pakistan’s hopes of jointly staging the World Cup with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have dimmed after gunmen attacked the visiting team bus in Lahore on March 3, killing seven people and injuring six players ahead of the third day of the second test.
The ICC match referee Chris Broad, who was lucky to escape unhurt after the bus carrying officials also came under attack, will attend the meeting and give his account, the statement said.
Pakistan had not hosted a test for more than a year before the Sri Lankan series and the incident has heightened fears among teams over travelling to the region.
Pakistan skipper Younis Khan will also attend the meeting while the Sri Lankan tour captain Mahela Jayawardene will hook up via telephone to give his version of the attack.
The ICC board is also expected to decide on an application by the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), who are seeking approval for their Twenty20 League.
The ICL players from many countries are barred from official cricket under pressure from the influential Indian board.
An ICC-brokered meeting in February between the Indian board and the league, bankrolled by one of the country’s largest media firm, ended in failure.
The ICL reiterated yesterday it would take legal action if it was not accorded official recognition.
