Windies have earned right to host World Cup: ICC

New Delhi, July 28 (UNI) A laggard economy, a bankrupt cricket board, paucity of infrastructure and, above all, a race against time don't make the Caribbean a unanimous choice for next year's World Cup but ICC stands by its decision to allot the showpiece event to West Indies, saying it was ''long overdue''.

Paying a rich tribute to cricket in the Caribbean, ICC Chief Exectuive Malcolm Speed said, ''Another seven and a half months and West Indies will finally host the World Cup. After all it was long overdue. It was the West Indies which brought the flair and excitement in the game, without which it would not have been the same.

''Cricket and the West Indies are inextricably linked and they have earned this right to host the event. Ater all they played a huge part in popularising the game. Entertainment, passion, excitement -- I'm sure we all are going to see it there. Sixty seven matches, 12 venues and in nine different countries -- I just can't wait for it,'' he said.

Mr Speed was addressing a press conference after logo and mascots of the next year's World Cup were unveiled here last night.

Delving into the rich heritage of cricket in the West Indies, Mr Speed said, ''You talk of West Indies and you have great memories of great people from there. The three Ws -- (Everton) Weeks, (Clyde) Walcott, (Frank) Worrell -- (Garfield) Sobers, (Sonny) Ramadhin, (Alf) Valentine, (Lance) Gibbs, (Michael) Holding, (Malcolm) Marshall, (Joel) Garner, (Viv) Richards...the list just goes on,'' he said.

''They dominated the game in the 1970s, 80s and 90s and their impact can never be underestimated.

''Cricket became embedded in our mind by Clive Lloyd's All-Stars team. They treated us to great strokeplays and ruthless fast bowling and I think they earned their right to host the World Cup by their sheer dominance of the game,'' he added.

Recalling West Indies' first two World Cup triumphs, the ICC official said, 'In 1975, Lloyd struck 102 off just 85 balls against the likes of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thompson, Gary Gilmour and Max Walker while (Viv) Richards effected three run outs.

''And four years later, Richards took lead and his 138 remained the highest score in a World Cup final for long. And they didn't lose a single match in the first two World Cups,'' he recalled.

Managing Director and CEO of the ICC World Cup 2007 Chris Dehring also felt that West Indies thoroughly deserved the event and promised a successful extravaganza.

''I think we deserved the World Cup simply because we played ODIs before anyone, in fact even before the one-dayers came into being.

If you ask how, West Indies has always played the Test matches in ODI fashion,'' he quipped.

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