Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed its astonishment that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh remained quite in support of Pakistan hosting next year's Champions Trophy during the recent International Cricket Council's board meeting. Newly appointed PCB chairman Ejaz Butt said, “It was a big surprise to me when Sri Lanka and Bangladesh didn't speak a word when the issue was discussed during the meeting."
Sri Lanka first played international cricket in 1975, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation and Pakistan was the leading supporters of Lankan's cricket, whereas Bangladesh – who once beat Pakistan by 62 runs during the 1999 Cricket World Cup in the group match at Northampton, however, didn’t qualify for the Super Six round after endured defeats in most of their other matches, though the victory had helped Bangladesh to get the Test status a year later.
Pakistan who had already qualified for the super six round and were unbeaten in that[1999’s] World Cup and were brutally favorites, lost to Bangladesh by 62 runs cheaply giving Bangladesh an easy game to win, so that it would help Bangladesh to stand out.
Butt believes, Pakistan always helped both countries at every stage and “I was not expecting this from these two countries” although “after the meeting was over, officials from both countries[Bangladesh, Sri Lanka] came to me and said 'we are with you', but I told them 'you didn't say this during the meeting,” Butt explained.
Ejaz Butt hailed that Zimbabwe, West Indies, India, South Africa and England explicitly supported Pakistan as Champions Trophy’s host. “Regardless of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Kenya and Bermuda had also supported Pakistan,” Butt said.
Conversely, ICC kept Pakistan as the host of next year's tournament after postponing the biennial event next year between September 24 - October 5 and board will make a final decision on the venues of the event following India’s tour to Pakistan in the first part of 2009. Butt tipped either Karachi or Lahore as the likely venue.
http://www.cricdb.com/archive/international/news/detail.php?nid=1040
Sri Lanka first played international cricket in 1975, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation and Pakistan was the leading supporters of Lankan's cricket, whereas Bangladesh – who once beat Pakistan by 62 runs during the 1999 Cricket World Cup in the group match at Northampton, however, didn’t qualify for the Super Six round after endured defeats in most of their other matches, though the victory had helped Bangladesh to get the Test status a year later.
Pakistan who had already qualified for the super six round and were unbeaten in that[1999’s] World Cup and were brutally favorites, lost to Bangladesh by 62 runs cheaply giving Bangladesh an easy game to win, so that it would help Bangladesh to stand out.
Butt believes, Pakistan always helped both countries at every stage and “I was not expecting this from these two countries” although “after the meeting was over, officials from both countries[Bangladesh, Sri Lanka] came to me and said 'we are with you', but I told them 'you didn't say this during the meeting,” Butt explained.
Ejaz Butt hailed that Zimbabwe, West Indies, India, South Africa and England explicitly supported Pakistan as Champions Trophy’s host. “Regardless of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Kenya and Bermuda had also supported Pakistan,” Butt said.
Conversely, ICC kept Pakistan as the host of next year's tournament after postponing the biennial event next year between September 24 - October 5 and board will make a final decision on the venues of the event following India’s tour to Pakistan in the first part of 2009. Butt tipped either Karachi or Lahore as the likely venue.
http://www.cricdb.com/archive/international/news/detail.php?nid=1040
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