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Essex all-rounder Ravinder Bopara has been named in the England squad for the forthcoming World Cup in the West Indies.

Bopara made his mark on his One-Day International debut to help England to victory over Australia in Sydney during the group stage of the recent CB Series.

Bopara made seven not out off five balls with the bat as he came in down the order at number eight in England’s total of 292-7.

The 21-year-old’s biggest impact came with the ball as he claimed the key wicket of Michael Hussey in a spell of 4-0-19-1.

Essex Chief Executive David East said:

‘We are absolutely delighted for Ravi that all the hard work put in over the last few years has been recognised at the highest level of International One-Day cricket. I am sure, given the opportunity, he will make a major contribution to England’s progression in the competition. We all wish him well.’

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BARBADOS – Despite a few areas of concern regarding roof works at Kensington Oval, the ICC Venue Team reflected a good and encouraging state of progress for the work which Barbados’ Local Organising Committee (LOC) has produced across all venues, with just 16 weeks left before the start of the tournament.

Chris Dehring, CWC 2007’s Managing Director & CEO used a limited-overs cricket analogy as he addressed a press conference after last Wednesday’s (November 15) tour: “We are in the final overs of a match, chasing a big score.”

Sharing the spotlight with Chris DeCaires, the Chairman of the Barbados LOC Board, Dehring said “everyone will be going full tilt from now on” and lauded what he termed “the tremendous amount of work the Chairman and his LOC have obviously put in to reach this stage”.

DeCaires echoed Dehring’s sentiments and affirmed that “the LOC, management and the contractors will be working flat out…this is key in the lead-up to the Event”.

Each of the various stakeholders for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 toured the venues in Barbados and was sufficiently satisfied with what they saw. These stakeholders covered the key areas of Media & Broadcast, Pitch & Field, Cricket Operations, Sponsors, Venue Development and the Event Authority – the International Cricket Council (ICC).

At Kensington Oval, the Venue Team toured the entire facility including the Coppin, Cozier & Short Media Centre, the Garfield Sobers Players’ Pavilion and the new Worrell, Weekes & Walcott Stand. The Sports Agronomy Team conducted pitch-and-field testing at Kensington Oval and inspected the practice grounds at Police Sports Club and Windward Sports Club.

Then tour concluded at the 3Ws Oval on the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, where four Warm-up matches will be played March 5-9, 2007. Barbados also hosts six Super 8 matches from April 11-21 and the CWC Final on April 28.

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Managing Director & CEO of ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc., Chris Dehring, has pleaded with Caribbean airlines to ensure their operations are “world-class standard” in order for next year’s Event to be a success.

This statement comes in the wake of several members of the ICC Venue Tour arriving in Grenada this morning without their luggage.

The team landed in the Spice Isle on Caribbean Star early this morning from Trinidad, where they were in-transit overnight after completing the Guyana leg of the tour yesterday, only to discover that a significant portion of their baggage was missing.

Among the items left behind was key equipment used to test pitches and outfields and other important equipment belonging to the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), which was needed to conduct the venue assessment.

However, with the assistance of the Government of Grenada Protocol Office, the luggage was sent to Grenada on a flight later in the morning and quickly despatched to the Venue Tour party.

Still, Dehring stressed the crux of the matter should not be overlooked.

“Here we are, on the third day of the tour, with this most embarrassing example of one of the pivotal concerns which has been repeatedly expressed – and CWC and, more importantly the entire Caribbean, has been let down. It’s extremely disappointing since it caused the team to lose valuable time in Grenada,” he added.

“The ICC and its partners are making their final and crucial assessment of whether the Caribbean is capable of and ready to host the Cricket World Cup to world-class standards. This is not what we want them – or for that matter anyone attending Cricket World Cup next year – to remember about the Caribbean.”

“The airline authorities have been on notice for a long time that this very important tour would be taking place and have been told how much depends on all of us raising our game and showing that the region can deliver in all areas, not just in building fantastic stadia.”

The CWC Managing Director said “such occurrences exemplify the challenges and why we need everyone in every service to focus individually and collectively on what we have to deliver”.

“The Governments and people of the Caribbean have sacrificed a lot for the opportunity to host this tournament and for anyone to operate in a manner that would put this project at risk is reckless. I have said before – and I say it again now – failure is not an option.

“The success of this Event will depend on everyone, including regional service providers playing their part in a diligent, meticulous and timely fashion,” noted Dehring, who has been in the vanguard of the region’s Cricket World Cup quest for the past decade.

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