Twenty20 World Cup in the pipeline
Twenty20 cricket is set to become an official part of the ICC international calendar from 2007 onwards - and England could be named as hosts of the inaugural world championship in 2009 - after a deal was struck on the second day of the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai.
There had been much scope for disagreement before the meeting, with the powerful Indian board especially sceptical about a form of the game that has drawn massive crowds across the globe since its inception in 2003.
But with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh keen to make a belated submission to host the fifty-over World Cup in 2011, the opportunity arose for a compromise to be reached. As a result, the Asian bloc have been given until April 21 to make their hosting submission for 2011, and England in the meantime have set their sights on hosting the first mandatory Twenty20 tournament in 2009. (more…)
