The Hindu : Sport : BCCI confident of staging 2011 WC final

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 06, 2006

Sport

Sport

BCCI confident of staging 2011 WC final

Special Correspondent

Bindra says India won't play for more than 105 days in a year

NEW DELHI: Upbeat after being in the forefront of the Asian bloc's successful bid to host the 2011 World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is confident of staging the final.

"Going by the rotation policy, India should host the final but for now, I don't want any public debate on the question of venue," said a supremely confident Board vice-president I. S. Bindra while speaking to mediapersons here on Friday.

"We hosted the 1987 final and the 1996 Cup final was held in Pakistan. So, going by the same principle, it is our turn," explained Mr. Bindra before adding, "We (the representatives of the four Asian Boards) will meet in June to discuss all the modalities. Five years seems a long time on paper but there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Just look at what is happening ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games... "

Bindra, instrumental in bringing the 1987 and the 1996 World Cups to Asia, had represented the four Boards when the 2011 World Cup bid was awarded in Dubai last Sunday.

Good presentation

"I must say the joint presentation of Australia and New Zealand was really good," acknowledged Mr. Bindra and pointed a finger at the previous set of Board office-bearers, headed by Jagmohan Dalmiya, for not passing on the files to the new set-up and thus delaying the bid.

It may be recalled that long before the Pawar group took over the affairs of the Board, the ICC had initiated the bid process with February 28 being the deadline. After seeking an extension of the deadline to April 21, the Asian bloc made its submission on April 20. In addition to the Compliance Manual, the joint bid also included a three-minute audio-visual, a presentation and a coffee table book, "Cricket First." Mr. Bindra also dismissed as "misleading" reports that the West Indies voted in favour of the Asian bid after the Board apparently promised a financial package for the 2007 World Cup.

"There was no quid pro quo. West Indies knew it was our moral right to host the event and they also realised it was in the best interest of the game," he said, adding: "We are committed to promoting cricket in the Caribbean."

Mr. Bindra also reiterated that India would not play more than 105 days of cricket in a year.

Clean venues

On the state of stadia in the country, Mr. Bindra promised clean venues. On the question of State associations like Delhi and Mumbai having tie-ups with corporate houses, he said, "World Cup is not a BCCI event. So we would request the sponsor not to insist on displaying their names during the event."

Mr. Bindra also said that 38 acres were allotted to the Board in New Delhi's Maharani Bagh area and there was every possibility of a World Cup match being staged there.

Answering another question, Mr. Bindra said he had told the ICC that the Board was capable of $ 8.77 million on a match day, compared to ICC's 1.5 to two million. "That's how our revenue from telecast rights has crossed one billion dollars," he said.

The Boje, Gibbs issue

Earlier, Board President Sharad Pawar said he would take up the issue of South African cricketers named in the match-fixing scam — Nicky Boje and Herschelle Gibbs — with the home minister and the police commissioner of Delhi.

"I have received a letter from the ICC. Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Speed (ICC President and ICC Chief Executive respectively) discussed the matter with me," admitted Mr. Pawar.

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