Meeting over 2011 World Cup on June 15

The ICC and the 2011 World Cup hosts will meet in London tomorrow to try and reach an out-of-court settlement over the dispute that had Pakistan's share of matches from the tournament taken away over security concerns. David Morgan, the ICC president, was confident of reaching a solution at the meeting, which will include representatives from the four countries originally awarded hosting rights - Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

"I am grateful to everyone for agreeing to come together to work through the ongoing issues surrounding the hosting of matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011," said Morgan. "I hope that, through discussion, we will be able to reach a resolution to this matter as soon as possible."

Morgan and chief executive Haroon Lorgat will also attend the meeting, while vice-president Sharad Pawar will take part by telephone.

In May, the PCB had issued a legal notice to the ICC after the world body had decided to exclude Pakistan from hosting the World Cup, calling the decision to do so discriminatory and "legally flawed". The meeting is the first step to resolve the impasse outside of a courtroom.

"It is a matter that is diverting resources and energy that could be spent elsewhere as, with less than two years to go before the event, we need to be conscious that time is passing," said Morgan. "The sooner we reach that resolution, the sooner everyone can proceed with the business of concentrating our efforts on working towards a successful event in 2011."

The original meeting was scheduled for June 3 in Dubai but was pushed to June 15. The ICC had said the meeting was postponed to ensure the availability of all those taking part.