Asian bid secures 2011 ICC CWC, Australasia awarded 2015 tournament, England confirmed for 2019

The ICC Board has awarded the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to the joint Asian bid of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The four Asian Members secured the right to host the event at a meeting of the ICC Board in Dubai on Sunday, ahead of a joint bid by Australia and New Zealand, which will, instead, host the tournament in 2015.

And England, which stepped back from its original 2015 bid, has been awarded the 2019 Cricket World Cup, together with the 2009 ICC Twenty20 World Championship.

Reflecting on the decision over the 2011 tournament, ICC President Ehsan Mani said: "On behalf of the ICC I congratulate the four Asian members on earning the right to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

"Since turning up at the ICC Board meeting in March with an unviable submission they have worked hard to satisfy the strict hosting criteria set by the ICC.

"That a compliant submission was produced ahead of the final deadline earlier this month is testament to the capacity of these four countries to work together.

"We can now prepare with confidence for what promises to be the biggest occasion that cricket fans in Asia and around the world will ever have seen.

"This is the first time that members interested in hosting ICC events have been required to produce submissions that fulfil strict hosting criteria and we have been delighted with the process.

"The hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 was one of the most difficult decisions I can recall the Board having made as both submissions were exceptionally strong.

"Australia and New Zealand were very unfortunate to miss out on the 2011 event but it is very comforting to know that we already have in place an exceptionally strong host for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and I congratulate both members for their outstanding submission," added Mr Mani.

The delegates representing the Asian bid at the meeting also expressed their joy at securing the right to host the 2011 tournament.

"We are delighted to have been asked to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, it is a tremendous honour," said Mr Shaharyar Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board.

"The submissions process has been eye-opening for all of us. I don't think we fully appreciated the volume of work that was required to produce a compliant submission and we are grateful to the ICC Board for allowing us extra time to complete this process.

"The rigour of the submissions process means we already have a good understanding of what we have to do over the next five years to be ready for the event.

"A passion for cricket unites our four countries and I am very confident that we will repay the faith shown in us by working together to deliver a wonderful tournament."

Mr I.S.Bindra, who attended the meeting on behalf of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said: "I was fortunate enough to be associated with Asia's previous successful bids for the 1987 and 1996 tournaments.

"Both of those were great successes and we hope 2011 will represent a new landmark as a cricketing and sporting milestone.

"We can promise that the 2011 Cricket World Cup will be as big as the football World Cup. In Asia you will see traffic stop, and massive television audiences and crowds for all the matches played."

BCCI Secretary Mr. Naranjan Shah, who was in Dubai to help deliver the Asian presentation, added: "We worked hard as a group and we were all determined to get the Cricket World Cup. It has been a joint effort and this result is the fruits of those efforts."

The Bangladesh representative Mohammad Ali Asghar MP said: "This is fantastic news and is a big progression for Bangladesh, especially as we have also secured an ICC Event in 2014.

"The matches in our country will definitely keep up Bangladesh's development in world cricket and we congratulate the ICC for giving us this chance. We will ensure we have all the support necessary from our Government to make these events successful."

Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Jayantha Dharmadasa, said: "It is difficult to find the words to express how delighted I am with this news.

"All of Sri Lanka, from the President down, will be thrilled with what has happened and with the problems in the country at the moment this is a very positive thing.

"We have also been awarded an ICC Event in 2012, and whether it will be a Twenty20 World Championship or a Champions Trophy we are so happy to be hosting it.

"The events in 2011 and 2012 mean that we will have hosted five ICC tournaments in 12 years and that speaks very highly of Sri Lanka, SLC and the present administration.

"We will have two new grounds by then with one near Kandy and the newly renovated stadium in Galle and that means we would have a total of seven excellent world-class venues to use."

Speaking on behalf of the Australasian bid, Cricket Australia Chairman Creagh O'Connor said: "Obviously we are disappointed to have narrowly missed out on 2011 but I think we can be proud of the submission we produced.

"We accept the decision of the ICC Board and send good wishes to the four Asian nations that will host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in the process of producing our submission. It means that we have a lot of important components already in place for 2015 and I have no doubt that it will be a fantastic event.

"And the fact Australia has been awarded a Women's World Cup before then, in 2009, is an excellent result and a great chance for us to further grow the women's game both in Australia and worldwide."

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was awarded the 2019 Cricket World Cup and also the 2009 ICC Twenty20 World Championships and Mr Mani said: "The ECB should be very pleased with the outcome of these negotiations.

"They produced an excellent submission to host both the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Twenty20 World Championship and they have earned the right to host both events.

"A lot of credit must go to David Morgan for the astute manner in which he handled some very complex discussions. England will be a fitting venue for the ICC Twenty20 World Championships at the climax of our centenary year in 2009.

ECB Chairman David Morgan added: "We entered into this process with the goal of being awarded a Twenty20 event and a World Cup.

"It is great news for cricket in England and Wales that these two major events have been secured and we have a wonderful opportunity to build our international calendar around these showpiece occasions.

"The full support of the ICC Board for the staging of these two important events in England is a clear indication of the prominent role that the ECB continues to hold in international cricket."

Among other ICC events allocated, India has also been awarded the 2013 ICC Women's World Cup.

The decisions are subject to ratification at the ICC's Annual Conference in London in July.

2007 Twenty20 World Championship - South Africa
2008 Champions Trophy - Pakistan
2009 Twenty20 World Championship - England
2009 Women's World Cup - Australia
2010 Champions Trophy - West Indies
2011 Cricket World Cup - Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
2012 Champions Trophy or Twenty20 World Championship - Sri Lanka
2013 Women's World Cup - India
2014 Twenty20 World Championship or Champions Trophy - TBC
2014 Champions Trophy or Twenty20 World Championship - Bangladesh
2015 Cricket World Cup - Australia and New Zealand
2019 Cricket World Cup - England

Attendees at the meeting were:

Ehsan Mani (Chairman) - ICC President
Percy Sonn - ICC Vice-President
Malcolm Speed - ICC Chief Executive Officer

Full Members
Creagh O'Connor - Australia
Mohammad Ali Asghar MP - Bangladesh
David Morgan - England
IS Bindra - India (as an alternate for Sharad Pawar)
Martin Snedden - New Zealand (as an alternate for Sir John Anderson KBE)
Shaharyar Khan - Pakistan
Jayantha Dharmadasa - Sri Lanka
Ray Mali - South Africa
Ken Gordon - West Indies
Peter Chingoka - Zimbabwe

Associate Members
Stanley Perlman - Israel
HRH Tunku Imran - Malaysia
Mazhar Khan - United Arab Emirates