The ICC have rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board's legal claims over the hosting of matches in the 2011 World Cup.

Last week, the PCB questioned the legality of the International Cricket Council (ICC) move to strip the country of its hosting rights to the event over security concerns, with the games being redistributed among the other co-hosts, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

But the ICC on Thursday issued their reponse and rejected the claims, drawing a distinction between Pakistan and the PCB, and rejected the PCB's claims during last month's meetings the issue was not within the jurisdiction of the ICC executive board.

Butt open to dialogue with ICC 

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "We used our response to clarify inaccuracies and misunderstandings in the PCB's claim, including confirmation of the fact that the agenda and the board papers for the recent ICC board meetings did very specifically raise the question of whether the ICC CWC 2011 matches assigned to the PCB as joint hosts should be relocated outside of Pakistan.

"We also pointed out that the ICC board agreed only that ICC CWC 2011 matches should be moved away from Pakistan, not that the PCB should be removed from its position as a joint host of the event itself."

However, this is unlikely to be the end of the matter, as the PCB have asked for the case to be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while also filing a separate claim with a Lahore court protesting the ICC's decision to move the tournament headquarters from Lahore to Mumbai.

"We are naturally disappointed that the PCB has chosen to pursue its grievance with the ICC through legal channels but, having received correspondence from its lawyers, we have now responded," Lorgat said.

He later added: "We hope that the PCB will reflect on this matter, withdraw its spurious claims and, as a responsible full member, engage with us in an appropriate manner.

"We also hope it realises that, by attempting to pursue the matter through legal channels, it will result in the diversion of funds and resources better served to ensure a safe, secure and successful tournament in 2011, something that will benefit all our members, including Pakistan."

"Matches cannot be played in Pakistan"

Lorgat also defended the basis of the board's decision, which came in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March, when seven players were injured in the gunfire.

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and ICC match official Chris Broad, who were both caught up in the attack, attended last month's meeting to relay their horrific experience to the executive board.

"The ICC board's decision that matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup could not be played in Pakistan was a sad one to have to take but it was taken on the basis of what was best for all 104 of the ICC's members," Lorgat said.

"The ICC Cricket World Cup is our flagship event. It generates the majority of ICC event income for our great sport and without that income many of those members would struggle to operate or grow the game in the way they are currently able to.

"Given that fact, we need to deliver a tournament that is safe, secure and, above all, successful and it was on that basis that the decision was taken that matches could not be played in Pakistan."