Windies to decide on venues for Champions Trophy

Given the green light to host the ICC Champions Trophy in 2010, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) must now decide which three regional territories will stage the world's No.2 limited-overs tournament.

With improved and top-class venues in the Caribbean being constructed for next year's World Cup, the WICB will have as many as 13 international grounds to choose from. But according to Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive officer, the Champions Trophy regulations allow for official matches in only three countries during one tournament.

"It is an excellent problem to have in the Caribbean now that you have excellent venues as a result of this World Cup," Speed said at a Press conference at the Hilton Barbados over the weekend.

"Yes, there will be a political issue to determine the three hosts from the 13 or so countries in the West Indies but that is why you have an outstanding chairman like Mr. (Ken) Gordon at the West Indies Cricket Board to resolve matters like that," Speed said.

He also said there was no hesitation among ICC board members in rewarding the Champions Trophy to the West Indies.

"They are confident now with the reports that they have received about the World Cup that West Indies can host the second most important event on the ICC calendar," Speed said. Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said the awards of the Champions Trophy are "a huge endorsement of the West Indies Cricket Board and the confidence the ICC board has in this establishment here to hold these events.

"It is a great legacy event following on from the World Cup and the West Indies deserve it. It's been done on merit. There are no favours and I congratulate Ken and his team for the leadership they have provided and Chris (Dehring) and his team for getting us where we are here in the preparation for the World Cup.

"As Malcolm said, it is a great problem to have when you have an event like the Champions Trophy and you have to select three venues. It creates a lot of competition between the countries.

"There will obviously also be some warm-up venues so there will be another couple of islands where we will certainly see some of that international cricket," Mani added.