Curtail 2011 World Cup to one month: MCC

London, May 22 (UNI) In a scathing attack on the ICC for the prolonged format of the recently concluded World Cup in West Indies, the Marylebone Cricket Club asked to curtail the length of the 2011 mega event in India to a one-month affair and also recommended to trim down the number of participating nations.

''The MCC World Cricket committee recommends that the Cricket World Cup should last no longer than one month. The committee recommends that the format of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, which finished in the Caribbean last month after almost seven weeks, should be urgently reviewed with the intention of reducing the length of the next tournament, due to take place in India in 2011,'' the MCC stated yesterday.

Advocating the participation of limited teams in the showpiece event as otherwise it spoils the excitement of the game, the MCC World Cricket committee said, ''the number of participating nations should be reduced and the competition restructured to ensure fewer one-sided matches.'' The MCC also seemed to be annoyed at the farcical end of the World Cup final between Australia and Sri Lanka.

''The committee believes that every effort should be made to ensure that the World Cup final be played over 50 overs, even if this means going into a second or third day,'' it said.

Meanwhile, taking note of the excessive cricket that leaves the players exhausted, the MCC said, ''One-day cricket is of a higher intensity and involves more travel than Tests. The elongated series often result in tired players more susceptible to injury.

''Furthermore, with the current level of international commitments,players are less likely to be able to appear for their domestic sides, so weakening the standard of competition at first-class level and reducing the attraction of cricket for native audiences, particularly the younger generation,'' it added.

The MCC, however, supported the idea of a standard format for international tours--a Twenty20 competition, three one-day internationals and a Test series of between three and five matches.

To strike a balance between financial gain, player welfare and audience satisfaction, the committee recommended a review of the international playing calendar.

UNI