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Spectator response worries Lorgat

Special Correspondent

Mohali: The CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Haroon Lorgat, said the lack of spectator response for the ongoing second Test here was a “cause for concern.”

Speaking to the media here on Saturday, Mr. Lorgat stressed Test cricket and its significance. The ICC was also keen on staging and spreading out the other forms of the game, he said.

The World Twenty20 Championship will be held in the West Indies in 2010, he announced. The event will be staged in place of the Champions Trophy that was to be hosted by the West Indies in the same year.

“With the Champions Trophy scheduled to be hosted in 2009 by Pakistan after the cancellation of the tournament this year, we decided to have a Twenty20 World Championship in the months of April and May in the West Indies,” he said.

Mr. Lorgat added, “Although World Twenty20 is to be held every second year, we decided to hold it on the trot to set the calendar right and ensure a better spread of tournaments.”

The ICC, he said, would host two World Twenty20 championships (in 2009 & 2010 in England and the West Indies), the Champions Trophy (in 2009) and the World Cup (in 2011) in the next three years.

He said an assessment of the security situation would be done long before the event.

In other words, the ICC would not keep the issue of security hanging till the last moment again.

Take on ICL

On the question of recognition to the ICL, Mr. Lorgat said the ICC would wait for the BCCI’s report on its meeting with the ICL officials.

On creating a separate window for the IPL, he said the issue had not yet been discussed by the ICC. “When we review the Future Tours programme, this will be up for discussion.” he said.

Mr. Lorgat said the ICC was discussing Sri Lanka’s proposed tour of England in May next year with both the Lankan Board and the ECB.

He added both sides were keen that the tour went through. In this context he said, “We have this challenge (vis a vis the IPL) from the Sri Lankan players.”

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