The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket
With appearances in the last three World Cup finals, cricket officials Tuesday have pegged umpire Steve Bucknor as a favorite to stand in the tournament's final this year in South Africa.
The 56-year-old Bucknor, from the north-coast Jamaican town of Montego Bay, left Monday for South Africa to officiate in six preliminary round matches, beginning with the February 10 game between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
West Indies captain Carl Hooper yesterday paid his respects to disgraced South African ex-skipper Hansie Cronje who was killed in a plane crash last year, a news report said.
Hooper, who with his team is based in the central South African city, visited the ashes of the fallen player at Cronje's former school, Grey College in Bloemfontein, where he laid a wreath at a memorial wall. "I still have the utmost respect for Hansie Cronje," he said.
The St. Lucia Tourist Board, in collaboration with Maiden Management, cricinfo.com, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Caribbean Star and the Minsitry of Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports has launched the inaugural Double Wicket World Cup, which will be played at St. Lucia's Beausejour Cricket Ground from April 4-6.
The event is planned to follow on from the ICC World Cup in South Africa, which will end just before the Double Wicket competition. West Indies captain Carl Hooper and opening batsman Chris Gayle will the home team representatives, in an event that will feature teams of two players each from eight Test-playing nations.
Two of the most popular cricket portals -- Wisden.com and CricInfo.com -- are in advanced talks for a merger and those in the know say a deal for the sharing of information could come down the pike in a matter of days.
The URL "WisdenCricInfo.com" has already been registered by U.K.-based Wisden Online Limited, prompting widespread speculation that the merged entity will be rebranded with that name.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has denied the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) request to have Jamaican batsman Marlon Samuels rejoin the World Cup squad in South Africa but the board is challenging the ruling.
According to information reaching CaribbeanCricket.com, an official request by the WICB to have Samuels travel to South Africa was turned down by the ICC on the grounds that a player cut from a squad cannot rejoin the team. However, sources say the WICB's lawyers are negotiating on the grounds that the ICC rules go into effect after the tournament begins.