CASTRIES (St Lucia), Sept 27: The process of selecting which countries will host matches in cricket’s 2007 World Cup began on Friday in St Lucia with a two-day summit of officials.

About 170 delegates from 13 countries, including the United States, Cayman Islands and Bermuda, were attending the Venue Summit.

The Caribbean Development Bank, also represented at the meeting, has agreed to provide every host country with the financing required to improve their facilities before the event, said Rawle Brancker, chairman of the ICC’s Cricket World Cup Committee.

The West Indies, which won the first two World Cups in England in 1975 and 1979, will be hosting the tournament for the first time.

“We feel very confident that we will shock the world by producing the best World Cup ever,” Brancker said. “When we take the No. 1 cricket event and couple it with the region that we have, I think there is a great opportunity for us to put on a show that will be hard to beat.”

Caribbean countries can begin applying in November to host matches in cricket’s 2007 World Cup. Interested governments have until Jan 31 to submit applications.

In Feb 2002, then-president of the West Indies Cricket Board Pat Rosseau said Grenada was the only Caribbean country capable of hosting World Cup matches.

Rousseau warned then that the islands could lose the chance to host the tournament if they do not improve facilities and infrastructure.—APP/AP