CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

The International Cricket Council (ICC) still considers India as the preferred venue for next year's ICC Knockout tournament to be played in September. Although the formal decision on the host of the biennial tournament is expected to be made at Kuala Lumpur's executive board meeting, the ICC hinted that it would like the competition to be held in India.

"India remains the preferred option for the Knockout tournament," ICC communication manager Mark Harrison said in a statement to Dawn. However, India might lose the rights to host competition if Pakistan stands firm on its policy of not playing the traditional rivals until they toured Pakistan.

Besides, India has held back confirming holding the tournament because of tax problems and the unfortunate legal battle between Doordarshan and Star Sports over the television rights of the 1996 World Cup.

The ICC realizes the impending situation when it added: "One of the conditions of being host is that all countries are made welcome and agree to participate against each other." Pakistan's 1999 tour to India was marred by ugly and unfriendly attitude of the Hindu fundamentalists who first dug the Feroze Shah Kotla pitch in New Delhi and then threatened Pakistan players life. So much so, deadly snakes were thrown at Gwaliar which hosted the four-week tour opener.

Pakistan has been kept as the standby venue if India declines to host the championship. But with India's existing policy against Pakistan, the tournament might eventually go to Australia who organized the World Cup in 1992. Australia have already expressed its willingness to play host to this November's Champions Trophy hockey competition after International Hockey Federation (FIH) refused to give thumbs up to Lahore because of the present crisis erupting after terror attacks on New York and Washington.

© Dawn