[Cricket] World Cup 2007 schedule announced

[jerry]

West Indies, the hosts, will play the first match of the 2007 World Cup against Pakistan, in Jamaica, on March 13, 2007. The match, from Group D, will be staged at the newly renovated Sabina Park in Kingston.

Australia, the defending champions, will open their tournament against Scotland in St Kitts on March 14. Overall the tournament will involved 51 matches in 59 days and the final will take place on April 28 in Barbados.

Trinidad & Tobago will host Group B. Matches will commence on March 15 when Sri Lanka meet Bermuda, India and Sri Lanka meet in the group's showpiece game on March 23.

St Lucia, which is hosting England's group for the round robin stage of the tournament, starts its matches on March 14 with Kenya taking on Canada. Kenya will also close out the group by playing England, who's first match is against New Zealand on March 16.

The round robin play will see six games over a period of 11 days in each of the four groups. The winners and runners-up from each group will earn the right to advance to the Super 8 stage of the tournament where teams will play each of the other teams advancing - except the team which advanced from their own group - for a total of six games each.

The Super 8 stage of the tournament, which begins on March 27, will be played in four countries: Antigua, Guyana, Grenada and Barbados. The last match of this segment of the tournament will take place on Saturday 21 April.

For the semi-finals the four remaining teams will travel to Jamaica and St Lucia. On Apri 24 Sabina Park in Kingston will be the venue for semi-final one, where the second and third place finishers from the Super 8's will square off against each other.

On April 25 the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia will stage semi-final two, pitting the first and fourth place finishers from the Super 8's against each other.

The event logo and event mascot were also unveiled at an event in Trinidad and Tobago. The event mascot is a teenage character called `Mello' who embodies the lifestyle of the region.

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