The 10th World Cup hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play their knock-out matches at home if they get past the preliminary rounds in the World Cup, the governing body confirmed.
But if two host countries draw each other, the team placed higher in the pre-tournament seeding will get preference, International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in Dhaka on 18th Feb, 2011 ahead of Saturday's opening match between India and Bangladesh in Dhaka.
It means India, seeded higher than both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will play the entire knock-out stage on home soil if they get that far. This means the original match schedule where specific quarter-final games were slotted will change - depending on where the hosts finish.
According to the schedule, the second quarter-final in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on March 24 was to feature the third-placed team in group B against the second team in group A.
But even if India do not finish third in group B, they will still play in Ahmedabad against a side which will not know their venue till the last league match ends on March 20.
According to the fixtures, the quarter-final line-up is A1 v B4, A2 v B3, A3 v B2 and A4 v B1 - so if India finish second, they will take on the third-placed team from group A.
If Sri Lanka are drawn against India, they will travel to Ahmedabad. Otherwise they will play their quarter-final in Colombo on March 26.
Bangladesh will play their quarter-final at Dhaka on either March 23 or March 25 if they qualify provided they are not drawn against either India or Sri Lanka.
The host country rule will also apply for the semi-finals in Colombo on March 29 and Mohali on March 30.
It made it easier for fans to make travel plans, knowing where their respective teams would play.
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