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London to host 2009 Twenty20 World Cup
David Lloyd, Evening Standard05.02.08
London will be the home of next year's Twenty20 Cricket World Cup with Lord's set to host the final and The Oval in line to stage one of the semis as well as several other games during the two-week tournament.
A third venue - probably Edgbaston or Trent Bridge - has still to be decided but today's announcement means the capital will be the focus for international cricket in June 2009.
England made 185 for eight as they won the first Twenty20 international with New Zealand in Auckland this morning and would hope to dominate a tournament on home soil.
As the country's two biggest grounds, Lord's and The Oval were always favourites to come out on top after a "fiercely contested" bidding procedure. Lord's hurriedly staged their first floodlit match - between Middlesex and Derbyshire - last season to prove they could do night games.
The ICC need to approve England's recommendations regarding choice of grounds. But that should be a formality.
As it stands, Lord's will stage warm-up, group and Super Eight contests as well as the World Twenty20 Final while, on the other side of the Thames, The Oval is the "preferred bidder" for one semi-final on top of a match package also including warm-up, group and Super Eight games.
Keith Bradshaw, chief executive of the MCC, said: "I am personally delighted."
