Temporary stands being erected at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Installation of the temporary stands, which will adorn the south-east and eastern side of the stadium, started on January 9. - Contributed

Assistant coach of Australia's cricket team, Dene Hills, has returned home paying glowing compliments to the facilities which will be used for the ICC Cricket World Cup in March and April.

Following a Caribbean visit last week which encompassed three host venues - Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Vincent & the Grenadines - he spoke highly of what he had seen, noting the grounds could rival those in Australia.

"The facilities at the grounds are outstanding, if not better than some I have seen in Australia. I am very confident that Team Australia will enjoy the hospitality that I have experienced here," he told a media briefing in Antigua.

Having inspected the stadia in all three countries, Hills has high hopes for the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

"I feel that the West Indies as a whole will have a fantastic Cricket World Cup. It's going to be a beauty," he declared.

In Antigua, the Australian team official toured the new Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds as well as the two practice venues - the Antigua Recreation and the Stanford Recreation grounds - and the team's official hotel.

Group fixtures

Once Australia - the defending champions - qualify from the tournament's group stage, they will play two Super 8 matches in Antigua & Barbuda.

Australia's group stage fixtures are slated for Warner Park in St. Kitts & Nevis versus Scotland, South Africa and The Netherlands.

Their warm-up series take place at Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent & the Grenadines with the other teams being Bermuda, England and Zimbabwe.

Hills also took the opportunity to meet a number of persons who will be working closely with the Australian team during ICC CWC 2007, including their travelling liaison officer, Elmore 'Smoky' Benjamin, local liaison officer, Austin 'Richie' Richards, and baggage master, Stanfield 'Shipwreck' Joseph.

Cricket operations manager of the Antigua & Barbuda Local Organising Committee (LOC), Martin Cave, said these persons were chosen because of their skills and experience in working with international cricket teams.