The International Cricket Council and Yahoo!India on Thursday announced the launch of the official website of the ICC World Cup 2011 – iccevents.yahoo.com, the online destination to follow the happenings of the sporting extravaganza, starting from February 19.

The website would have live match updates, detailed match analysis, exclusive video content, engaging games and rewarding contests, an ICC release said.

Fans can also purchase ICC merchandise through the website, the release informed.

ICC General Manager (Commercial) Campbell Jamieson said he and other members of the world governing body of the game were “thrilled to be working with Yahoo! to launch an online destination that offers the exclusive ICC Cricket World Cup content in an innovative and engaging way.”

Among the content will be “Commentweeter” to get a consolidated view of Twitter updates directly from cricket fans and the top cricketers of the world in one single view, the release added.

Pakistan would prefer to play their 2011 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka if their team is not allowed to play in India due to strained relations between the sub-continental neighbours.

According to sources, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt had indicated it to the ICC President David Morgan in their recent meeting in Dubai.

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the three joint hosts of the World Cup as ICC and PCB have resolved their dispute over hosting of matches in Pakistan.

Relations between India and Pakistan hit a low after the terror attacks in Mumbai last November which led to suspension of bilateral cricket ties.

“The PCB believes the test case for the World Cup will come when the IPL-III will be held in March-April next year,” one source said.

“If the Pakistan government allows its cricketers to play in the IPL then we should not have any problems sending our team to India for the World Cup matches,” the source said.

The central organizing committee of the World Cup which no longer includes any Pakistani representative is due to finalize the schedule of matches and venues for the World Cup in November after which the PCB will know where its team has to play in the tournament.

The International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday amicably resolved the dispute over staging of the 2011 World Cup matches in the strife-torn country, clearing the way for the smooth hosting of the elite event in the sub-continent.

As per the agreement, to be signed soon, the PCB will retain its host fees and also receive an additional payment as reasonable compensation for loss of hosting rights that it would have enjoyed had it hosted the matches on Pakistan soil.

The PCB, on its part, has agreed to withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC.

The resolution was reached during a meeting between ICC President David Morgan and PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt.

According to the agreement between the PCB and commercial arm of the world governing body “the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore.”

“This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing,” Morgan said in a statement.

“I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC,” Morgan said.

The ICC Board in April had stripped the host status of Pakistan, taking away the 14 matches it was originally allocated because of security situation in that country.

Morgan also promised Pakistan to bring cricket back in that country as and when security improves.

“When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan,” he said.

PCB chief Butt also expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the talks.

“The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached. We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries.

“Our number-one priority is that cricket in Pakistan must not be allowed to suffer unduly and I believe this agreement is the best possible outcome for the game,” he said.

Apart from Bob Woolmer’s unfortunate death, India’s shocking exit and Pakistan’s loss to Ireland, the 2007 ICC World Cup is also remembered for its excruciatingly lengthy format. Of course, the Australians won the title again, in fact thrice in succession. But that bit came after 49 days of cricket that seemed like never ending.

Compare that to the 1996 World Cup jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that finished in just 29 days or even the 1992 version, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, which got over in 31 days. They are vividly remembered for many reasons, one of them being for less time consuming.

The length of the tournament thus will be central to a discussion when delegates from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the host nations for 2011 World Cup will meet for the first time in Mumbai on Tuesday. ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat and chief tournament director Prof Ratnakar Shetty will be among those who will play a huge role in trying to take the prized 50-over event back to its golden days.

‘‘After the 2007 World Cup, there has been some serious thinking on the matter,’’ Shetty said, referring to the format in West Indies which drew flak. ‘‘It is important to keep the interest, so yes, we will be working on giving a new look to the format. Draw examples from the 1996 World Cup which was short but effective,’’ he said on Monday.

One of the major concerns for the event will be the overdose of Twenty20 which has already caught the imagination of most cricket fans. Between now and 2011, there is another World T20 event, two more Indian Premier Leagues (IPL) and that many chances of the game’s shortest format ruling the roost. As much as there will be the need to keep the 50-over format alive, the focus will be on the 2011 World Cup more than anything else to deliver the required result.

‘‘T20 is definitely catching and there’s another World Cup. But we still firmly believe that 50-over format will have its own following,’’ says Shetty. His primary role, among other things, will be to lead all the three host nations in coordinating with the ICC. For India, former Mumbai spinner Suru Nayak has been appointed as BCCI’s host tournament director.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought clarification over an invitation to attend a World Cup 2011 organising committee meeting as it continues a legal challenge to being stripped of matches.

The Central Organising Committee (COC) of the World Cup 2011 meets in Mumbai on Tuesday to decide the fate of Pakistan’s share of 14 matches which were moved out of the troubled country over security fears.

“The (COC) invitation has raised certain legal issues in our mind for which we have sought clarifications from the COC and once they are addressed a decision will be taken whether to attend the meeting or not,” PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) stripped Pakistan of the fixtures in April following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore a month earlier, leaving India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as the remaining co-hosts.

The attacks, which left seven players and their assistant coach injured and eight people dead, ended any chance of Pakistan hosting international cricket with teams already refusing to tour over security fears.

The PCB initiated legal proceedings against the move and the relocation of the World Cup secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai.

A civil court in Lahore gave a stay order against the relocation of the secretariat and the PCB put its proceedings on hold in an effort to solve the issue through talks between the four host countries and the ICC.

But a summit in England last month failed to resolve the issue and local media reported the PCB was reluctant to attend the COC meeting as it re-started its legal case.

The ICC has ruled out the possibility of matches being staged in the United Arab Emirates, where Pakistan has previously played ‘home’ international matches.