The International Cricket Council on Monday announced the eight venues that have been chosen to host matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.
A total of 12 bids were received to host matches in cricket's most prestigious One-Day International event, with the following eight venues selected: Antigua (new venue), Barbados (Kensington Oval), Grenada (Queen's Park), Guyana (new venue), Jamaica (Sabina Park), St Kitts (Warner Park), St Lucia (Beausejour Stadium), Trinidad and Tobago (Queen's Park Oval).
A ninth venue, the National Sports Centre in Bermuda, has been awarded tournament warm-up matches and the West Indies Cricket Board will recommend it as a first alternative venue to host games in the event a match needs to be relocated for any reason.
ICC president Ehsan Mani congratulated the chosen venues and reconfirmed the cricket community's full support for the West Indies to deliver a world-class event.
"In 2007, the ICC cricket World Cup will be hosted for the first time in history by the West Indies, and they have quite rightly earned this wonderful opportunity to showcase their region to the world," he said.
"For many years, the West Indies were the powerhouses of the sport, giving much joy and inspiration to the game around the world. They deserve the opportunity and honour to host the ICC cricket World Cup.
"All the applications to host matches were highly impressive, but the organisation of staging 51 games in the tournament works logistically and practically around a structure of eight main grounds.
"Understandably, this will create some disappointment among those venues not selected, but as we saw at the last ICC World Cup in South Africa, hosting the tournament is not simply about individual venues, but how the countries unite together to stage the event.
"The cricket community is fully supportive of the West Indies and it is confident that the enthusiasm, commitment and energy of the West Indian people will unite with a collective effort to host a most successful tournament in 2007."
With a record 16 teams set to contest the 51 match tournament, eight 'packages' to host matches were on offer with 12 applications received from 11 countries in and around the West Indies.
Jamaica (Trelawny), St Vincent, and the United States of America (Florida), which missed out on host matches, could still be involved in the tournament with a proposal for the three venues to host warm-up games, along with Bermuda, under consideration.
The eight venues were selected and approved by the ICC following a recommendation presented to the ICC's governing board on July 2 by the Cricket World Cup Organising Committee, which undertook a thorough analysis and assessment of each bid and venue application.
New venues will be built in Antigua and Guyana, while the remaining six venues will undergo upgrades to host international matches.
A venue assessment team which comprised world games experts from various disciplines, along with representatives from the ICC and local organisers visited each ground to inspect and assess the facilities and infrastructure at each venue.
The assessment criteria for the bids took into account aspects like the stadium, operations, security, medical facilities, spectator facilities, finance, accommodation, political environment, local organising resources, media facilities, communications and marketing support.
Two rounds of inspections were conducted by the team. St Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent, Trinidad, Guyana, and Barbados comprised the first leg of the venue verification tour from May 24-29.
The second leg of the tour, from June 7-12, took in Lauderhill in Broward county (Florida), Antigua, St Kitts, Jamaica and Bermuda.
WICB president Teddy Griffith said the quality of applications was outstanding, with a thorough assessment process identifying eight venues that will go on to leave a strong legacy for cricket in the West Indies.
"We were highly impressed with the work done and the efforts made by the respective countries in support of their bids to host matches," Griffith said.
"The venue assessment team was established to ensure that the venues in the region were thoroughly prepared and the best available venues were selected to host matches in the ICC cricket World Cup.
"Detailed visits were made to each venue to understand first-hand the strengths of each ground and examine the challenges that some venues face.
"There is a high level of expertise required in making sure that venues have, or have the potential, to deliver the necessary facilities, resources and infrastructure to host matches of this nature.
"Together, the delegation was able to assess the criteria first-hand, discuss the proposals, and seek solutions with each venue so that by 2007, the Caribbean is set to deliver [to] the world a highly professional and successful event.
"With two new venues to be built, and others set to undergo minor and major upgrades, the ICC cricket World Cup will undoubtedly leave a strong legacy for the countries of the Caribbean through which the future of cricket in the West Indies can be sustained beyond 2007."
Details of the matches to be played at the eight venues will be announced on July 13 in live broadcasts on radio and television throughout the Caribbean.
The ICC cricket World Cup 2007 comprises 51 matches, including 24 first-round games, 24 matches in the Super Eight stage, two semi-finals and the final.
