India thanks Pak for rescuing WC bid

Karachi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India has thanked Pakistan for rescuing the Asian bid for the 2011 World Cup.

In a letter sent to his Pakistani counterpart, BCCI president Sharad Pawar credited Pakistan for saving a bid that he said could have been lost by default.

Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh despite submitting a delayed bid last month won the right to stage the World Cup.

Pawar said that the sub-continent had been able to win the bid largely because of Pakistan's timely reminder to India about the ICC's new compliance document.

For the first time in World Cup tournaments, countries wanting to host the event were required to produce submissions fulfilling strict criteria.

The compliance document comprised an exhaustive list including "clean" stadia to prevent ambush marketing, security, federal government tax exemption, and hotel and transport guidelines.

"Thanks a lot for rescuing the bid which we would have, for all practical purposes, lost by default," Pawar said.

India and Pakistan resumed bilateral cricket relations in 2004 after a gap of four years after both countries started a peace process in which cricket has played a major role.

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