England and Wales to host 2019 Cricket World Cup

USPA News - England and Wales have been confirmed as the host countries for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, finalizing a previous agreement in which England agreed to pull out of the race for the 2015 event in order to host the sporting event four years later. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it signed a host agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) during a meeting in Dubai on Sunday.

It said the tournament will be held throughout June 2019 and will be played at 10 venues across both England and Wales. "The signing of this agreement now enables ECB to enter into Staging Agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019," said ECB Chief Executive David Collier, adding that preparation work will begin in late June after the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy. "The ECB is honored to have been selected to stage one of the largest and most important global sports events which will be a wonderful boost to sport and cricket in particular throughout England and Wales," Collier added. England also hosted the World Cup in 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999. ICC Chief Executive David Richardson noted that the Cricket World Cup usually attracts more than 1.5 million television viewers and is one of the premier events in world cricket. "England and Wales boasts a number of high quality cricket venues providing players, officials and spectators with excellent facilities," he said. "We look forward to working with the ECB to deliver an outstanding tournament." The 2019 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to involve 10 teams, down from 14 teams in 2011 and 2015. England was awarded the rights to host the sporting event in 2019 after it agreed to pull out of the race for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which were then awarded to Australia and New Zealand.