ICC to pay PCB 18 million dollars as World Cup dues: Butt

Lahore, Aug.28 (ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hopes to receive up to 18 million dollars from the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the stripping of hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup, its chairman Ijaz Butt said on Friday.

"At the moment the figure is around rupees one billion (12 million dollars) but I hope it could go up to rupees 1.5 billion (18 million dollars) by the time World Cup begins in 2011," Butt told reporters in Lahore.

Butt returned home from Dubai after signing an agreement with the ICC president David Morgan according to which Pakistan will retain its host fees - 10.5 million dollars - and will receive additional compensation for the loss of hosting rights.

"It's a confidential document which we both (ICC and PCB) signed, but I can tell you that much that I hope the total earnings of PCB might go up to rupees 1.5 billion," the Dawn quoted Butt, as saying.

In return the PCB will withdraw all its legal cases against the ICC and all its 14 World Cup matches will now be distributed among India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - the three co-hosts of the World Cup.

"Within the next 15 days, the PCB will withdraw all its legal cases against the ICC," Butt said.

Pakistan lost the right to host international cricket matches after gunmen attacked Sri Lankan cricketers and their security detail on March 3, leaving six police officers and a van driver dead.

Butt said a clause had been added to Thursday's agreement, saying international cricket will return to Pakistan when the ICC and other teams are satisfied the security situation had sufficiently improved.(ANI)