The hosts of the 2011 World Cup will enjoy home advantage during the quarter-final and semi-final stage, the ICC has confirmed. Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh will play at home if they reach the quarter-finals, the venues for which are Mirpur (staging the first and the third game), Ahmedabad (second) and Colombo (fourth), as well as the semis. However, while the draw for the quarter-final in terms of who plays whom from each group has been decided - A1 v B4, A2 v B3, A3 v B2 and A4 v B1 - the sequence of these games will only be revealed at the end of the Group stage once the final positions of the concerned teams has been determined. For the semi-finals, to be held in Colombo and Mohali, will involve the winners of A1 v B4 and A3 v B2, and A2 v B3 and A4 v B1.
"I can confirm that the three host countries will play the knock-out rounds on their own grounds," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, told reporters on the eve of the opening game of the tournament.
As the immediate permutations stand, either India or Bangladesh, who have been placed in Group B, are likely to meet Sri Lanka, from Group A, in the final eight. The semi-finals may also throw up a likely scenario where all three are involved, if paired against non-hosts in the quarter-finals. In the event that India and Sri Lanka are drawn together for the quarters with India finishing higher in their group, then Ahmedabad would be the venue for their game. If Sri Lanka were to finish the preliminary stage at a higher position, they would play their quarter-final in Colombo.
Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice-president, is the chairman of the 2011 World Cup's organising committee, while Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer, is the tournament director. The 43-day event comprises 49 games spread over three countries and 13 venues and will be a week shorter than the 2007 edition in the West Indies.
The ten Full Member countries and four Associates have been divided into two groups of seven each, with the top four from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. Group A includes Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya. Group B comprises India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands.
