COLOMBO, Feb 4: Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, hailed the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which starts on Sunday, as an event that has truly come of age. The tournament will see 16 teams from all over world play 44 matches in 15 days at five different venues, with final under lights at R. Premadasa Stadium on Feb 19.

Speed said at opening ceremony on Saturday evening that scale of event was now, in every way, a far cry from first time it was played.

“From beginnings in 1988 when it took place, in country areas of Australia and involved just eight teams, through a ten year hiatus before concept was revived in South Africa in 1998, this tournament has come a long way,” he said.

“It is now established part of global cricket calendar taking place every two years. When ICC comes to sell TV rights for all its events up to 2015 this year it will form part of package available to broadcasters.

“It will see Super League semifinals and final broadcast on television with possible global audience of hundreds of millions of people. Supporters will follow matches, through TV, radio, newspapers, Internet. As event there is no doubt it has truly come of age.”

Speed said one of attractions of tournament, being held for sixth time, was that it gave cricketing world a first glimpse of stars of tomorrow with many of game’s current big names using the World Cup as stepping stone to senior success.

“When it was last held in Sri Lanka, in 2000, two stars of tournament were Indian Yuvraj Singh and South Africa’s Graeme Smith,” he said. “Six years on and this week Yuvraj scored a hundred in Pakistan-India Test while Graeme leading his country in Australia.”

Pakistan are defending champions, who beat West Indies in final in Bangladesh in 2004.—Agencies