Don Lockerbie, venue development director, ICC CWC Inc. - File

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

DURING THIS week, stadia throughout the Caribbean will undergo yet another appraisal by a team of Cricket World Cup (CWC) and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials, ahead of the start of the mega-event on March 11.

The team of officials, headed by venue development director Don Lockerbie, embarked on the latest venue tour Monday.

Requested by ICC

Officials will assess the progress made by respective venues since the last inspection tour in November and December last year.

"The ICC actually requested it, coming out of the November tour. The November tour was truly the mega tour where we had all of our stakeholders," Lockerbie told CMC Sports from St Kitts.

"This time around, we are on a smaller more intimate tour. It's a quick in-and-out tour, so we only have a few of the stakeholders represented."

The inspection team also includes Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitch and field consultant; David Richardson, general manager of ICC cricket operations; Professor Eugene van Vuuren, ICC stadium consultant; Michael Hall, CWC's cricket operations director and Andy Roberts, CWC's pitch and field consultant.

Tim May, president of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, is part of the venue assessment team for the first time.

"He's taking a look at it from how the players are going to respond. He has a real knowledge of what the players are really asking for at major championships and we are trying to make sure we achieve what the players are looking for since it is their world championship," Lockerbie said.

Lockerbie and the assessment team visited Warner Park in St Kitts on Monday morning and moved on to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium later in the evening.

Travel schedule

The team was heading to Jamaica yesterday where it will tour Sabina Park in Kingston, then the Greenfield Stadium in the north-western parish of Trelawny tomorrow.

They will visit St Lucia on Friday to tour the Beausejour Cricket Ground and then visit Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.

The travel schedule will take the team to Grenada on February 5, Guyana the following day, Trinidad and Tobago on February 7 and St Vincent and the Grenadines on February 8.