Mumbai to host 2011 World Cup final

Mumbai has been chosen as the venue for the 2011 World Cup final after a joint decision taken by the four subcontinental boards. The semi-finals will be played at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, while Dhaka will host the opening ceremony.

The meeting took place in the residence of Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, and was attended by Nasim Ashraf, the Pakistan board chairman, Mehboob Rehman, the chief executive of the Bangladesh board, Duleep Mendis, the Sri Lankan board chief executive, and other Indian board officials.

"It was a collective decision," Pawar told reporters. "Most of the decisions were taken unanimously." Ashraf was confident that the World Cup in 2011 would be the best ever. "All the member countries are acting like a family and every decision was taken amicably and unanimously," he said. In July this year the BCCI had announced that Delhi would host the final in new stadium fully owned by the BCCI. Obviously things have changed from then to now.

A central organising committee has been set up to overlook the preparations for the event. While Sharad Pawar will be the chairman of the committee, a convenor will be appointed from Pakistan and the treasurer from Sri Lanka.