PCB withdraws petition against ICC

As part of their out-of-court settlement with the ICC, the Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday withdrew the petition filed in a Lahore civil court against shifting of the 2011 World Cup secretariat from the city to Mumbai earlier this year.

PCB's legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi said the board has also started the process of withdrawing the legal notice sent to the International Cricket Council against shifting of World Cup matches out of Pakistan.

"Under the settlement with the ICC we have to withdraw all our legal cases in 15-days time and we are doing that," Rizvi said.

PCB chairman Ejaz Butt has claimed that the board would get between Rs 1250 million and Rs 1500 million from the ICC for dropping the legal challenge and surrendering the hosting rights for its 14 World Cup matches.

However, independent sources said the total amount that the PCB would get, including the mandatory hosting fees, is not more than Rs 1100 million.

The PCB has now also withdrawn itself from the World Cup central organising committee and declined to name any members to work in the World Cup secretariat.

The PCB chairman has come under criticism after he opted for an out-of-court settlement but Rizvi said this was the best possible solution for Pakistan in existing circumstances.

He also denied reports that the PCB could have earned more by going for a full-fledged case against the ICC.

The civil court had given a stay order against the shifting of World Cup secretariat to Mumbai.

But sources said the PCB's case had suffered setback after Salman Butt, whom they had nominated and appointed as managing director of the World Cup secretariat in Lahore, didn't support the case in court.