DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC):
THREE YEARS after hosting cricket's premier event, the Cricket World Cup, the Caribbean will again play host to another major cricket tournament.
The International Cricket Council on Sunday announced the West Indies to host the 2010 Champions Trophy, the event they won in 2004 when they beat England in a thrilling final at the Oval.
"I'd like to thank the ICC board for understanding that it is important that we have further opportunities to make use of the excellent facilities that we are building for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007," West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Ken Gordon said.
"The hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy provides the perfect opportunity for us to build upon the momentum of next year's ICC Cricket World Cup for the long term benefit of cricket in the region."
The West Indies are just months away from hosting the Cricket World Cup, which runs from March 11 to April 28 next year.
It is the first major cricket tournament to be played in the Caribbean and the Champions Trophy will utilise much of the infrastructure that is being built for the 16-team tournament.
The Champions Trophy will be smaller, with the revamped format seeing just eight teams competing. Pakistan will host the first revised tournament in 2008, with the West Indies playing host to the second.
"The ICC Champions Trophy is an established part of the international cricket calendar and we were inundated with members that wanted to host this prestigious event," ICC president Ehsan Mani said.
"This means that we have been able to find very sensible time slots for this and other events in the years ahead.
"By reducing the number of teams taking part and moving the scheduling of the event, the ICC Champions Trophy will be a very strong component of the exciting package of events through to 2015."
