World Cup 2007: USA fail to host Cricket matches
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

LONDON: Florida’s bid to host matches at the 2007 Cricket World Cup was rejected by administrators here Monday.

West Indies had already been awarded host status for the showpiece event but there had been speculation that cricket chiefs, looking to broaden the appeal of the game, would take the opportunity to stage some matches in the neighbouring United States. International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani told reporters at a London hotel opposite the global governing body’s headquarters at Lord’s: “A whole process was followed and from a development point of view, the US had attractions but the decision was based on strict criteria.”

Mani said that immigration factors and the problems of getting replacement players into the United States at short notice had counted against Florida. West Indies will be hosting the ninth edition of cricket’s showpiece one-day tournament for the first time. They were the first World Cup winners back in 1975 in England and four years later successfully defended their title, again in England.

Australia are the only other nation, in 1999 and 2003, to have won back-to-back titles. “They deserve this event,” said Mani. “They have earned the right to host this tournament.” The eight venues which will stage the 51-match tournament are Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and Trinidad.

In two cases, new venues will be built with Antigua and Guyana set to play host to purpose-built 20,000 capacity stadiums. In Barbados, the Kensington Oval will have a major upgrade and in Grenada, Queens Park will be increased in capacity from 13,000 to 20,000. Jamaica’s Sabina Park will be upgraded to 30,000 while Warner Park in St. Kitts will be renovated from its 4,000 present capacity to 13,000.

In St. Lucia, the Beausejour stadium will be increased from 12,000 to 20,000 while Queens Park Oval in Trinidad will be boosted to 25,000. Unlike the last World Cup in South Africa, the 2007 event will feature a Super Eight stage as opposed to a Super Six second phase. However, the tournament will be contested by 16 teams as opposed to the 14 in South Africa with two more associate or junior nations taking part, and there will be three fewer games, 51 matches compared to 54 last year.

Mani, who said the tournament was due to take place some time between the middle to the end of February to the end of April, said: “This will give the better teams as big as possible a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.” Where teams will be playing their matches will be decided at a meeting of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on July 12 in Montego Bay, Jamaica with an announcement a day later. However, the four sides expected to attract the biggest support – West Indies, reigning champions Australia, India and England – will each be based at one specific venue. Mani added that the WICB would get 46 percent of the tournament’s gross revenues. West Indies will benefit by approximately $100 million.●