BRIDGETOWN, May 3: Countries boycotting World Cup matches may be kicked out of the tournament in future, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed said on Saturday.

This year’s tournament was thrown into chaos when England and New Zealand refused to play first-round group matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The ICC will also decide this year whether to change the format of the competition and reduce the number of teams taking part after complaints that the 2003 World Cup in South Africa was too long.

Speed said the World Cup’s credibility was damaged by England’s refusal to play a match in Harare and New Zealand pulled out of a game in Nairobi. Both teams forfeited points but continued in the tournament.

“It had a very negative impact that the two matches were boycotted,” Speed told a news conference after a meeting with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) officials about the 2007 World Cup.

“We don’t have a solution at the moment, we have four years to find a solution,” he added.—Reuters