Twenty20 CWC ticket sales flying
15 June 2007
The first Twenty20 Cricket World Cup takes place in South Africa from 11 September to 24 September and cricket fans are keen to see the world's best teams in explosive action, with ticket sales off to a flying start.
On the first day they became available to the public 22 200 were snapped up which, along with preferential bookings, brought the total sold so far to 45 000.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) says ticket prices will range from just R20 to R160, which is the same as those used for domestic matches.
A family game
CSA Chief Executive Officer Gerald Majola said: "At such prices, whole families can enjoy a number of matches of action-packed cricket throughout the tournament. This even includes a double-header at each venue."
Three grounds will host matches, namely The Wanderers in Johannesburg, Newlands in Cape Town, and Kingsmead in Durban.
South Africa will open the event against the West Indies
at the Wanderers, which was reflected in ticket sales for the opener when 15 000 were snapped up in one day.
The tournament features 12 teams, divided into four groups of three sides each.
Groups
In Group A, the Proteas face the West Indies and Bangladesh. Group B includes World Cup winners Australia, their traditional rivals England, and Zimbabwe. World Cup semi-finalists New Zealand take on World Cup finalists Sri Lanka and Kenya in Group C, while Pakistan, India, and Scotland, three teams that failed to make the Super Eights at the World Cup, do battle in Group D.
The seeding of the teams was based on their one-day international rankings as of 1 March 2007.
As in the World Cup, the tournament will feature a Super Eights stage, made up of the top two finishers in each group, followed by the first versus fourth place finishers, and second versus third place finishers in the semi-finals, and the final.
The semi-finals will
be played in Durban and Cape Town, with Johannesburg hosting the final on Monday, 24 September, which is a public holiday in South Africa, Heritage Day.
Launch event
Tournament Director Steve Elworthy, speaking at a function at which the tournament logo was unveiled, said: "The launch event is planned to take place on 26 July in Johannesburg. It will set the tone for the build-up to the non-stop cricket action coming to Wanderers in Johannesburg, Newlands in Cape Town and Kingsmead in Durban.
"I'm thrilled that we have unveiled the logo, as this allows us to build as much excitement and hype as we can around the tournament.
"The colourful logo depicts the fast-paced action of the format. The bright colours capture the format's youthful and vibrant energy, and the strength in diversity that South Africa is known to stand for globally," he added.
Potential impact
Taking a look at the potential
impact of the tournament, Elworthy said: "Although in South Africa cricket is second after soccer in terms of support, the margin is still significant, and we hope that twenty over cricket will close that gap in the next few years.
"South Africa is very privileged to be hosting the tournament, with 12 countries participating in this first international competition.
"We are fortunate to be the first to host this event, and it says a lot about the ICC's confidence in South Africa's ability to set a standard for other countries."
Twenty20 cricket has taken a firm foothold in the game in South Africa, with attendance figures during the past season rising sharply, especially among the 16 to 24 age group. It has also proved to be a good drawcard for families.
Tourism opportunity
South African Tourism CEO, Moeketsi Mosola, commented: "As a regional sponsor for the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup, we are extremely excited that our destination
has been chosen to host this event, the first of its kind on South African soil.
"The event gives us a supremely outstanding opportunity to attract the attention of overseas tourists, allowing us to address our commitment to increase tourist volume, spend, length of stay, to encourage geographic spread towards the overall objectives of transformation and empowerment.
"The level and value of global awareness that South Africa can leverage as a result of this massive opportunity cannot be over-estimated," he added.
'A great event'
Ray Mali, the Acting President of the International Cricket Council, said in a statement: "I am thrilled that South Africa is hosting the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. I am sure it is going to be a great event."
Explaining its place in the game, Mali said: "Twenty20 international cricket is not meant to replace one day internationals or tests, and we are still fully committed to the longer forms of the
game.
"What I think it will do is help to cultivate a new generation of cricket fans, who start off watching Twenty20 and then move on to one-day cricket and multi-day cricket too."
'Captured the imagination'
Malcolm Speed, Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council, released a statement, saying: "Twenty20 cricket has already captured the imagination of people of all ages with its short and sharp format.
"We've seen its success at the domestic level and we are looking to supplement with a controlled international Twenty20 calendar that has this exciting new tournament as its focal point.
"South Africa has been an early-adopter of Twenty20 cricket and I am sure it will be an excellent venue for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.
"The legacy of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 means that South Africa already has in place exceptional facilities and expertise and I am very confident that Cricket South Africa will host a
tremendous event.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
| 
