ICC Trophy 2005 host agreement signed in Ireland

ICC President Ehsan Mani and ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed today signed the Host Agreement for the ICC Trophy 2005 in Ireland.

The eighth ICC Trophy will be centred around Belfast and Dublin in July 2005 and Mr Mani and Mr Speed visited both cities today to sign the agreement and receive a briefing on the preparations for the 12-team event.

Mr Mani said that he was very pleased that the Irish Cricket Union (ICU) was planning to host matches in both centres.

"Throughout its history, the ICU has operated as a unified body and I am delighted that matches will be staged in both the north and south of the island," said Mr Mani

"This tournament will leave a positive legacy for cricket in Ireland as it will raise the profile of the game and assist in the development of better facilities for practicing, playing and watching the sport.

"The ICC Trophy in 2005 will have more at stake for the 12 participating nations than ever before. There will be five places at the next ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies available to the competing teams.

"This is two more than in 2003 and a clear reflection of both the ICC's commitment to spreading the game and the improved performances of the developing nations at the last ICC Cricket World Cup."

The ICU has received significant support from the clubs, provincial unions and government both north and south of the border in its preparations. As well as local cricket officials, Mr Mani and Mr Speed met with the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, in Dublin and the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, Aideen McGinley, in Belfast.

"The ICC Trophy is a prestigious event and this is a momentous day in the ICU's history," said ICU Chairman Joe Doherty.

"A lot of hard work has already been put in to get us this far and we now look forward to tackling the remaining stages of preparation and welcoming teams from all corners of the cricket world."

The ICC Trophy is part of an international tournament structure that provides a pathway to the elite level of competition for almost all of the ICC's 89 member countries. This begins with regional tournaments taking place throughout 2004 and will climax with the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies in 2007.

The last ICC Trophy was held in Canada in 2001 with Holland emerging victorious in a tense final against Namibia.

Former winners of the ICC Trophy include Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

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