Twenty20 World Cup to be played at three venues

Dubai, Nov 21 (UNI) Kingsmead (Durban), Wanderers (Johannesburg) and Newlands (Cape Town) were today selected as venues for the next year's inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships to be played in South Africa in September next year.

The event will involve 12 teams, the 10 ICC Full Members and the two top Associates. Those two Associate spots will be determined at the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 event in January which brings together Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland, the ICC said in a statement here.

Commenting on the announcement of the three venues for the ICC Twenty20 World Championships, tournament director Steve Elworthy of Cricket South Africa said: ''We are very fortunate in South Africa to have so many world-class venues where we could have held this event and I am delighted with the choices made.

''Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg are no strangers to world-class cricket events, having each been used with great success during the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, and I have no doubt they will do us proud in the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships as well,'' he said.

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