CWI awaits ICC’s approval for World Cup match allocation

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Cricket West Indies (CWI) made recommendations to the ICC about the match allocations for the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup next year in the Caribbean and the United States of America (USA), with the proposal still needing to be ratified by the directors of the sport's world organising body.

CWI chief executive officer Johnny Grave sought to clarify the bidding process for the global showpiece after the seven host territories were revealed last week, and media reports indicated that Kensington Oval in Barbados was set to host the final.

CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow refuted the claim that Kensington Oval will host the final on the Mason & Guest cricket talk show on Voice of Barbados 92.9 FM on Tuesday in Bridgetown. However, Barbados Cricket Association's president, Conde Riley, suggested he had documents stating that the island's bid for the final and a series of other matches had been successful.

Tourism officials on the island also touted a successful bid to stage the final and other matches during a promotional event in the Cayman Islands this past week. Grave said "the enthusiasm and interest" shown was a bit premature because there were other requirements.

"Following a robust selection process of our seven host venues, CWI-appointed Venues Selection Committee, chaired by president Dr Kishore Shallow, has made recommendations to the ICC on allocations of matches for ICC Men's T20 World Cup," he said in a media release on Wednesday.

"These recommendations are subject to venues confirming commitment to all required obligations and ICC approval."

He added: "We are delighted by the enthusiasm and interest expressed by our host governments and cricket boards. We appreciate the hard work and commitment shown as we look to deliver a spectacular Men's T20 World Cup next year.

"We will now work with the ICC, our hosts, and ICC members to finalise the match schedule in the coming weeks."

The allocation of matches is to be considered and approved when the ICC holds its next meeting of directors in November.

During the talk show, Shallow indicated that Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad & Tobago had put in bids for the semi-finals and the final.

The ICC announced last week that seven Caribbean countries and three cities in the USA will host matches in the Men's T20 World Cup.