The International Cricket Council announced the fixtures for the eigth edition of the ICC [Images] Trophy Ireland 2005, which has on offer five berths for the next World Cup in 2007.

The tournament, starting on July 1 in Ireland, will see 42 matches held at a record 25 venues across northern and southern Ireland, beginning with six matches around Belfast and concluding with the final at Clontarf on July 13.

Launching the tournament, ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed [Images] said, "It is 25 years since Sri Lanka [Images] beat Canada [Images] in the final of the first ICC Trophy in England [Images] and on the occasion of this event's Silver Jubilee there is more at stake for the 12 participating teams than ever.

"As well as competing for the prestigious ICC Trophy, this event is about the five remaining places at the next ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies [Images]," Speed said in an ICC statement.

"There are five previous winners of the ICC Trophy. Three have gone on to claim Test match status while the other two, the holders Holland and United Arab Emirates, will be amongst the contenders in Ireland," he said.

"This event provides a unique insight into the relative merits of the top teams outside the established Test-playing nations. The Irish Cricket Union and its stakeholders now have three-and-a-half months to deliver a world class event and I wish them every success with their task."

For the first time in the tournament's 25-year history the players will wear coloured clothing.