2007 World Cup matches to be announced today

MONTEGO BAY: Chairman of CARICOM, Dr Keith Mitchell and International Cricket Council (ICC) President, Ehsan Mani will be among the speakers at the ICC Cricket World Cup WI 2007 Award of Matches Ceremony today at the Ritz-Carlton Resort. Mitchell, who is Prime Minister of Grenada and Chairman of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket, will deliver the feature address at the ceremony which will be broadcast live on television and radio throughout the Caribbean from 7 pm.

Other short addresses will come from Mani, and President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Teddy Griffith, while ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc Chairman, Rawle Brancker will deliver the welcome, and Managing Director and CEO, Chris Dehring will give the closing remarks. During the multi-media event which will be witnessed by delegations from the host venue countries, sponsors, cricket and government officials as well as regional and international media, the announcement will be made of the packages of matches that will be awarded to the eight finalist venues. These will include the hosts of the Finals, Semi-finals and Opening Ceremony and match. 

ICC CWC 2007 Inc will also pay tribute that night to Hon Patrick Rousseau and Rev Wes Hall, who played significant roles in the early stages of the CWC 2007 bidding and preparation as well as the captain of the West Indies teams that won the first and second Cricket World Cups, Clive Lloyd. Hosts for the evening are international cricket commentators Simon Crosskill, of Jamaica, and Barbadian Donna Symmonds. Immediately following the ceremony Mani, Brancker, Griffith and Dehring will also be joined by ICC CEO, Malcolm Speed for a press conference which will be broadcast live on radio. Spokespersons for the eight finalist venues will also answer questions from the media in a second phase of the post-ceremony press conference.