Cricket experts will begin an inspection tour in the Caribbean on Monday to assess potential venues for the 2007 World Cup.
The tour is broken into two segments — the first going through May 29, the second from June 7 to 12. The inspection team is comprised of officials from the International Cricket Council and CWC 2007, the company formed to organise and run the event.
Earlier this month, 11 countries seeking to host matches in the World Cup submitted bids.
The West Indies Cricket Board listed the order of the inspections as St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, the United States (Broward County, Florida), Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica and Bermuda.
The visiting officials will tour stadiums and meet with local organising committees and government officials. They will discuss plans including stadium design, security, transportation and traffic, accommodations, medical services and media services.
Caribbean governments have been trying to dispel concerns that their venues are substandard, with some countries building new stadiums and others improving national infrastructure.
The countries chosen to host matches are to be announced on July 4 and details of the matches on July 13 in a live broadcast on radio and television throughout the Caribbean.
The ninth World Cup is set for April and May 2007 at eight venues for first-round matches, quarterfinals, semifinals and final — a total of 51 matches. Dates have not been finalised but ICC officials have indicated the tournament will last six weeks.
The West Indies, which won the first two World Cups in England in 1975 and 1979, is hosting it for the first time. It would also be the first time the United States hosts World Cup matches. – Sapa-AP