Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

ICC WI 2007 Inc. managing director and CEO Chris Dehring, speaks at an ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 press conference at the Hilton hotel yesterday. A centre is Kenneth Gordon ICC/WI Inc. chairman and at right,Percy Sonn, ICC president. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

With seven months left until the first ball of the (International Cricket Council) ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 is bowled, the ICC executive is pleased with the progression of the 12 stadiums around the nine regional venues, but believe that special attention must now be paid to the playing conditions that will be experienced during the tournament.

"We are happy with progress so far, the venues coming out of the ground are being built very quickly and are quite impressive," said ICC CEO Malcolm Speed, addressing members of the media on the progress of the World Cup at a press conference at the Hilton yesterday.

"From now on we need to focus on the playing conditions, the pitches the outfields, to make sure that they are of the very highest standard because ultimately this event will be judged on the basis of the cricket that is played here," he added.

ABILITY

A report carried on the New Zealand Herald's web site (www.nzherald.co.nz) a little over a month ago, indicated that their Black Caps could be told to prepare for the worst as doubts emerge over the Caribbean's ability to host the tournament.

The article went on to state that "underprepared grounds and pitches are expected to be the norm rather than the exception".

However, according to ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc Managing Director and CEO Chris Dehring, that will not be the case as a team of specialists have already been employed to make sure that the grounds all meet international standards.

"All the grounds around the region will be of the highest standard, you will have already seen some of those standards imposed on many of those countries," Dehring said.

"At Sabina Park we have seen where an entire day's play was thought to have dissolved into thin air when it rained on the morning of a one-day international. Yet we only lost about half an hour's play due to excellent conditions of the outfield," he added. The CEO referred to the second one-dayer between the West Indies and India in May.

The overall report from the executives, which also included ICC president Percy Sonn and Chairman of ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc. Ken Gordon, indicated that they were pleased with the other plans for the World Cup so far and that things are very much on schedule.