Tender treatment

If the cricketing nations of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were a design company looking to bid on a printing contract for a multinational organisation, they would by now have been told to pack up their printing press and hit the road.

But the ICC is not your everyday multinational and this is cricket not commerce, meaning the World Cup 2011 bid submitted by the Asian nations has been generously allowed to remain in contention despite falling foul of the guidelines generated by the ICC.

The first deadline was missed altogether so the ICC created a second deadline for the four countries to submit a proposal. This new second deadline was met; however the content of the proposal was non-complying in several key areas and therefore could not be considered.

One of the bid guidelines created by the ICC concerned the maximum number of venues to be used in the competition. They stipulated that 15 should be the absolute limit. In their wisdom, the Asian bid ignored this seemingly straightforward condition and suggested within their bid proposal a whopping 37 different venues across the four countries to be used.

What is remarkable about this number, is not just that it falls so far foul of the ICC bid requirement, but that India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh actually believe that 37 different venues poses a logistically attractive way of hosting a world cup.

Rather than dismiss the late and non-complying proposal, the ICC have now created a third deadline for a qualifying bid from Asia. At least India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will not be able to say they were not given a fair chance when they inevitably fail to secure hosting rights.

The alternate co-hosting bid from Australia and New Zealand, was submitted on time in a fully complying manner.