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Pakistan loses out on co-hosting World Cup

MUMBAI - The International Cricket Council has moved its 2011 World Cup headquarters to Mumbai and increased India's allocation of matches after stripping Pakistan of co-hosting rights following a terror attack last month on the Sri Lanka team.

MUMBAI - The International Cricket Council has moved its 2011 World Cup headquarters to Mumbai and increased India's allocation of matches after stripping Pakistan of co-hosting rights following a terror attack last month on the Sri Lanka team.

India will host 29 of the 49 matches, including the final and a semifinal. Bangladesh will host the tournament opener and two quarterfinals among its eight matches and Sri Lanka will host 12 matches, including a semifinal.

The World Cup was initially scheduled to be co-hosted by the four South Asian cricket Test countries, with Pakistan slated to stage a semifinal among its 14 matches.

But cricket's world governing body removed Pakistan as a host on April 17, six weeks after a dozen heavily armed gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team convoy en route to a Test match at Lahore, Pakistan.

Seven players and a coach were injured in the attack and six police officers and a driver were killed in the ambush near the match venue.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat met with cricket officials from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Tuesday before announcing changes in tournament structure. Among the structural changes, the tournament base was moved from Lahore to Mumbai, India's financial capital.

Earlier this week, former Pakistan captain and coach Javed Miandad called for the World Cup to be moved from Asia, citing Australia's decision to boycott a Davis Cup tennis match against India at Chennai because of security concerns - Sapa

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