Cricket: Hopes high for joint bid success

A successful Australasian bid for the 2011 World Cup would see a 50-50 split in games, with the final still up for negotiation.

New Zealand Cricket CEO Martin Snedden said it would be wrong to assume the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or any Australian stadium, would host the final by rights.

"Both of us [NZ and Australia] have said we'd like to host the final but we're not going to get into that issue yet," said Snedden.

At this stage, the pool and super eight games will be evenly split and New Zealand will definitely host a semifinal. A refurbished Eden Park would be favourite to host that but Snedden said the three major grounds - Jade Stadium, Eden Park and the Cake Tin - would be given equal opportunity to bid for it.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) decree means that 15 venues only will be allowed for the World Cup, with an eight-seven split across the two countries.

McLean Park, Seddon Park, the Basin Reserve, Queenstown and Carisbrook would be other grounds capable of hosting matches.

Snedden is confident the joint bid with Australia to host either the 2011 or 2015 World Cups will be successful but has emphasised that it is the earlier tournament on which the bidders have their hearts set.

The transtasman bid, Beyond Boundaries, was the only bid for 2011 delivered to ICC headquarters in Dubai ahead of the March 1 deadline.

England has submitted a bid for 2015 only, while a joint subcontinent bid from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has asked for a deadline extension.

Questioned on the fairness of the subcontinent requesting a deadline extension when NZC staff and their counterparts from the Australia Cricket Association worked through the night for the past four weeks to get their bid completed in time, Snedden would only say: "All we've concentrated on is getting this [bid] right at our end. As for technicalities of the deadline, I'm not too fussed."

ICC management will meet later this month in Dubai and make decisions in principle over the hosting of the package of tournaments up to 2015.

After further examination of the bid or bids they will make a final recommendation to the board that will vote in the first week of July.

The 10-man board includes representatives of the four Asian nations, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies.

Snedden is convinced they have the tone and the content of Beyond Boundaries right.

He has leant heavily on the New Zealand Rugby Union in terms of much of the logistical information surrounding stadia.

And he's also has been pleased with the cooperation of both Governments in terms of ensuring that there will be no tax or customs issues during the tournament.

Snedden has received an assurance that Zimbabwe will be allowed to compete in the tournament.

The bid structure is different from rugby, as the NZC and ACA do not have to guarantee the ICC any revenue.

The ICC inherits all the risk and takes the money from broadcasting and commercial arrangements. The ACA and NZC take the gate receipts.

Like the successful NZRU World Cup bid, the ability to provide clean stadia was essential, while Beyond Boundaries placed a heavy emphasis on security. The 250-page bid took four weeks to compile.

-HERALD ON SUNDAY