Sri Lanka eyes playing World Cup hosts

After successfully hosting the Asia Cup last month, the Sri Lankan board is already thinking about stepping up to the next grade - playing host to a World Cup tournament.

"We have the logistics to push for a World Cup," said Ravin Wickremaratne, Asia Cup tournament director and tour co-ordinator of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). "Logistically we are strong. We have Kandy, Dambulla, SSC, Galle and the R Premadasa Stadium. Then there is CCC, NCC, Moratuwa and Kurunegala. These venues we can improve with little money if we have to stage a World Cup."

Wickremaratne also indicated that even the main venues needed to be spruced up a bit: "We need to improve seating capacity to generate a little more income." Referring to the R Premadasa Stadium, he said: "It does not come under SLC because it is managed by the Sugathadasa Stadium Management Committee. A lot of things need to be improved. The outfield is uneven that is why when the rain comes it gets filled with water. The level of the ground is lower than the outside. Even the terraces and the chairs need repairing."

However, Wickremaratne was still confident that Sri Lanka had the infrastructure to stage a tournament as big as the World Cup. He said that internal flight systems, including helicopters and bell airplanes, would be introduced shortly. "The time span of travelling from, say, Galle to Kandy after a match will be comparatively very small if that gets going.

"The only problem I see is the hotel accommodation. Even in Colombo you have only 3500 rooms for guests. That is a problem we will have to overcome. That aspect of it of course is out of Sri Lanka Cricket's hands. We cannot to anything unless the government or the tourism ministry steps in."

The eighth Asia Cup generated a profit of US$19million, the biggest in its history. Of this amount, US$10.6million will be distributed among the six nations that competed in the tournament - Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE and Hong Kong. The remaining funds will be used by the ACC for the development of cricket in the game's Asian outposts. Each of the four Test-playing nations will receive US$ 2.5 million.

Looking back at the organisation of the tournament, Wickremaratne said: "Even the spectators from India were very happy with the arrangements. The only problem we faced was the selling of tickets. It was in such a demand that some people couldn't buy them."

Wickremaratne admitted that some of the tickets were priced too high and that contributed towards poor spectator attendance at most matches. "Since we expected a lot of Indians to come we decided to increase the price for the India-Pakistan, India-Sri Lanka and Pakistan-Sri Lanka matches. We increased the rates by about 75% compared to the tour here by Australia. But we still drew a full house at the final and the stadium was overloaded."

SLC received kudos from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for successfully conducting the Asia Cup, which in the words of ACC chief executive Ashraful Haq `was the best ever Asia Cup' he had experienced.

"I am 100% satisfied with the performance of Sri Lanka Cricket and the public, and how they behaved," Ashraful told Wickremaratne at the felicitation night hosted by SLC to thank those who contributed to the success of the Asia Cup. Ashraful has been to all eight Asia Cup competitions since its inception in 1984.