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The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Thursday it had responded formally by rejecting the legal claims initiated last week by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) concerning the hosting of matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup (ICC CWC) 2011.

The response sought to clarify factual inaccuracies and misunderstandings in the PCB’s claim.

In particular, it confirmed the ICC Board had not decided to remove the PCB as a joint host of the event, but only that the matches assigned to the PCB should be played outside Pakistan.

Commenting on the response, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “We are naturally disappointed that the PCB has chosen to pursue its grievance with the ICC through legal channels but, having received correspondence from its lawyers, we have now responded.

“We used our response to clarify inaccuracies and misunderstandings in the PCB’s claim, including confirmation of the fact that the agenda and the Board papers for the recent ICC Board meetings did very specifically raise the question of whether the ICC CWC 2011 matches assigned to the PCB as joint hosts should be relocated outside of Pakistan.

“We also pointed out that the ICC Board agreed only that ICC CWC 2011 matches should be moved away from Pakistan, not that the PCB should be removed from its position as a joint host of the event itself.

“The suggestion the ICC Board was not empowered to decide that matches should be moved away from Pakistan and that such a decision was ‘legally flawed’ is also incorrect and without foundation.

“The ICC Board is the policy-making body for international cricket and has broad powers under its constitution.

“Not only is it entitled to make a decision on this matter but it has a responsibility to do so on behalf of all its Members, something the Board was reminded of at the meeting by Lord Condon, one of its independent expert advisors on security matters.

“The ICC Board’s decision that matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup could not be played in Pakistan was a sad one to have to take but it was taken on the basis of what was best for all 104 of the ICC’s Members.

“The ICC Cricket World Cup is our flagship event. It generates the majority of ICC event income for our great sport and without that income many of those Members would struggle to operate or grow the game in the way they are currently able to.

“Given that fact, we need to deliver a tournament that is safe, secure and, above all, successful and it was on that basis that the decision was taken that matches could not be played in Pakistan.

“We hope that the PCB will reflect on this matter, withdraw its spurious claims and, as a responsible Full Member, engage with us in an appropriate manner.

“We also hope it realises that by attempting to pursue the matter through legal channels, it will result in the diversion of funds and resources better served to ensure a safe, secure and successful tournament in 2011, something that will benefit all our Members, including Pakistan.”

(Source: ICC)