ICC Cricket World Cup - practice and media conference arrangements for Sunday 22 April

The following are the training and media arrangements for the remaining teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 for 22 April

James Fitzgerald

21-Apr-2007

The following are the training and media arrangements for the remaining teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 for 22 April:

In St Lucia, South Africa and Australia will be arriving ahead of their semi-final at Beausejour Stadium on Wednesday. Neither side has planned a practice session or media conference. For Australia team activities contact media manager Philip Pope on +1784 593 9134. For South Africa, contact Gordon Templeton on +1246 240 4340.

In Jamaica, Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be arriving in Kingston ahead of their semi-final at Sabina Park on Tuesday. Neither side will be holding a training session or media conference but contact team media managers Michael Tissera (Sri Lanka) on +1876 823 1231 or John Durning (New Zealand) on +1876 823 2346 with any specific enquiries.

England, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Ireland have no more matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and so will be holding no more training sessions or media conferences.

Details of all media contacts for the teams that remain in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, as well as those that have gone home, can be found in the ICC's latest Media Notes publication that can be downloaded at: www.icc-cricket.com.

Meanwhile, as you will all know, the Super Eight game between the West Indies and England at Kensington Oval was Brian Lara's final international match. The following is a transcript of a tribute paid to Lara by ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed:

"The word 'great' can be overused but in Brian Lara's case it is definitely merited. As a batsman, he has provided superb value to all fans of the game over 17 years.

"It is fitting in some ways that his international career is ending here in Barbados because it was here that he played one of his great innings, the 153 not out that helped beat Australia in a Test match back in 1999.

"I was fortunate to witness that innings, together with another outstanding hundred in the Test that followed in Antigua, and it summed up the way he has played: brilliant under pressure but also remembering that the game is entertainment.

"Just as important as the runs he scored and the way he scored them, Brian has also played in a way that has been true to the Spirit of Cricket and we should be grateful for that too because players are role models for the next generation.

"It is always sad when a player leaves the stage, especially when it is someone of Brian's stature, but he has left us with some fantastic memories and for that cricket owes him a great deal."

James Fitzgerald is ICC Communications Officer