World Cup in the West Indies - 2007

Donny · Posted: Tue May 06, 2003 6:02 pm

No forfeitures in 2007 World Cup: ICC
Wisden CricInfo staff - 4 May 2003

Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has threatened to throw out teams boycotting World Cup matches in future. Addressing a news conference in Bridgetown, Barbados, Speed said: "once teams have agreed to play the World Cup, they are bound to play in every match � or they will leave the World Cup."

Speed remarked that England and New Zealand's refusal to play in Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively had destroyed the credibility of the World Cup. He said that in future the ICC might make teams sign an undertaking to fulfill all their World Cup fixtures. Speed was participating in a meeting between the ICC and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), to outline organizational details of the next World Cup.

Speed also declared that the format and the number of participating teams in the World Cup were under review. He said that the ICC was considering many options, from reverting back to a twelve-team structure or expanding the number of participating teams to sixteen, from the current fourteen.

Sardonically dismissing comments that the 2003 World Cup was too long, Speed said: "We heard that mainly from English journalists once their team went home. It became a bit long and drawn out for them. I didn't hear any complaints from India or New Zealand or South Africa. They were enjoying every minute of it."

It was also decided at the meeting that all major matches in the 2007 World Cup would take place in West Indies, although some early games could be held in the United States or Canada.

Promising an "unforgettable" World Cup, Chris Dehring, managing director of the Windies World Cup 2007 Inc, said that cruise ships and charter flights were being considered to transport players and fans during the tournament.

Describing the organizing of the tournament as an enormous challenge for West Indies, Dehring added: "We have around 40,000 rooms in the English-speaking Caribbean and this will probably not satisfy the demand for a single match between England and India."

couragous cloke · Posted: Tue May 06, 2003 11:00 pm

me and too maayyyytes (all windies fanatics) are already planning an after year 11 trip to the world cup! already starting to save up!

Donny · Posted: Tue May 06, 2003 11:04 pm

Hey that's great, Clokey. I'm starting to save for it as well. Make sure you take your Pies jumper, m8.

MrsTarrant · Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 2:09 am

I'll be there for sure! Smile

HAL · Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 2:10 am

I am so glad you find this amusing.

The Prototype · Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 2:19 am

World Cup in the Windies, sounds like a very good trip, very nice country there. And nice places to go aswell.

London Dave · Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 6:22 am

Well, if you make it over, let me know, as I will more than likely be heading down there as well.

Donny · Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 2:15 pm

Looking good !! Won't it be great for cricket lovers back here to see so many Collingwood jumpers in the crowd !!

Kristin5 · Fiery Redhead Joined: 19 Apr 2001

You'll need to be cashed up to do that trip! It's bloody expensive to go to the West Indies.

I'd love to go too, but I'll just have to see how the finances are going by then.

MrsTarrant · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 12:50 am

It's all good I have it worked out I'm going to make my parents pay so I will be there for sure hehe! Oh and the Ashes 2006 everyone I will be there too! Smile

I'm sure my parents wont have a problem with this ha! Razz

London Dave · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 4:48 am

couragous cloke · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 9:19 pm

oopsies, i just realized what i just said doesnt make much sence. first year of no skool.

HAL · Posted: Fri May 09, 2003 12:22 am

Do you have any idea what I am talking about?