The WICB unanimously won the bid to stage the world's leading international limited overs tournament at the decisive ICC annual meeting in London in June. The date for this tournament remains to be finalised but will take place in either 2005 or 2007, with the support of a glitzy, computer-aided presentation.

A lot of hard work went into the board's presentation and the onus was clearly on our being able to convince other ICC members that we were ready to host the World Cup. That in itself was a major achievement as the vote was unanimous.

The WICB's presentation was made by Marketing Executive Chris Dehring and included a video of cricket in the Caribbean, before an audience which comprised representatives of the 11 countries who are full members of the ICC and others from the 38 territories who are associate and affiliate members.

The board's presentation was based on five major arguments. There were: (1) The Caribbean deserves the World Cup; (2) The Caribbean needs it; (3) The Caribbean can earn it; (4) The region is ready for it; and (5) The Caribbean is a great place to stage it.

We argued that the Caribbean deserves to host the Cup since the West Indies team has made a sterling contribution to world cricket, both on and off the field, over the years. We have had the longest run as world champions and West Indians on the whole have supported and boosted cricket tremendously over the years.

In arguing the need for the Caribbean to host the Cup, the WICB contended that because of proximity to the United States, cricket is under pressure from external influences and staging it in the region could significantly boost the sport in the Americas.

The WICB intends to run the tournament to international standards and we are confident that enough revenue can be generated to earn the tournament and satisfy all members and associate members.

Governments of the Caribbean have agreed to support the venture and the various managerial requirements to stage a successful tournament are being acquired.

Regional heads of governments were apprised of developments surrounding the hosting of the Cup when representatives of the WICB met with leaders during the 19th CARICOM Summit in St. Lucia in July.

WICB President, Pat Rousseau, reported to the regional heads some of the requirements for the successful staging of the Cup which, by Caribbean standards, is a massive undertaking. Board representatives got favourable response from regional heads and they are very supportive of the board's efforts.

We believe that this will be the biggest sporting event ever staged in the West Indies. There will also be immense logistical challenges in moving 12 to 16 teams, in addition to tens of thousands of spectators, from venue to venue, and fast and efficient movement will be required.

A special secretariat will be appointed to administer the World Cup and a feasibility study is being carried out to determine the skills and requirements needed to constitute the secretariat and run the tournament.

The board sincerely believes that staging the Ninth World Cup in the Caribbean will be of tremendous benefit to the region, both from an economic standpoint and as a tourism destination. All partners need to share the vision of making the inaugural Cup in the region a highly successful one.

Stephen Camacho is CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board. Across The Board is the column of the West Indies Cricket Board.