Pakistan joins hands with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh for hosting ICC World Cups - Reports
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly joined hands with its Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi counterparts to bid for two ICC World Cups jointly.
It is also set to form a consortium with the UAE-based Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to host two T20 World Cups in the 2024-2031 cycle.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, the cricketing body intends to host the 2027 and 2031 ICC World Cups jointly with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
It is also looking to host two out of four T20 World Cups with the ECB, while going solo in its bid for the 2025 and 2029 Champions Trophies.
Pakistan hasn't hosted a global ICC tournament since the 1996 World Cup, which was staged jointly by the PCB, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the SLC.
Pakistan was part of the South Asian consortium for the 2011 World Cup, but its matches were withdrawn for security reasons.
The PCB will face stiff competition from, among other boards, the affluent BCCI, which has its sights on hosting the 2025 Champions Trophy, 2028 T20 World Cup, and the 2031 World Cup.
17 boards to bid for the ICC events
Apart from the BCCI and the PCB, 15 other countries - Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, Malaysia, Namibia, New Zealand, Oman, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, UAE, USA, and Zimbabwe - have presented their proposals by June 30.
The ICC had originally announced an open-bidding process which was scrapped at the eleventh hour for a less transparent choice by its own board.
The ICC's acting chief executive Geoff Allardice explained the decision in a statement:
"The revised approach to selecting hosts for our events will give us much more flexibility to grow the game and engage new fans. There is a smaller pool of countries with the infrastructure needed to host our senior Men's events which narrows the selection process.
"Additionally, many of our Members expressed interest in hosting Women's and U19 events which gives us a great opportunity to stage events in established and emerging cricket nations."