Tuesday April 3, 2007:

Cricket fans worldwide have another chance to get their hands on Super 8 tickets for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 matches in Barbados.

Now that the final match schedule for the Super 8s is available, ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc. has indicated that more tickets are now available for the Barbados matches which take place from April 11 to 21.

The release of these tickets is primarily the result of returns from the Event’s contractual obligations, inclusive of Official Travel Agents (OTAs) worldwide who are licensed to sell Tour & Travel packages for the tournament; Official Hospitality Agents (OHAs) who are licensed to sell Hospitality packages; and Event sponsors who have an option to buy a number of tickets per match.

“There has always been a high demand for the Barbados matches and up to the end of Phase 2 last year, fewer public tickets were available for those games. What we have seen over the past month is a number of tickets being released to CWC for sale to cricket fans,” explained ICC CWC 2007 Commercial Director, Stephen Price.

He said that a number of tickets were by reserved sponsors who had the option to purchase them for use in promotional or other activities. Where these companies have chosen not to do so, these tickets are now being released for sale. To ensure that the public now has an opportunity to get these tickets, CWC is releasing these into the Public Ticketing pool.

The Official Tour Operator, Cricket Logistics 2007, and the Official Hospitality Services Provider, Cricket Hospitality 2007, have contracts with OTAs and OHAs respectively across the world who have sold tickets as part of Tour & Travel packages as well as Hospitality packages. Tickets which have not been sold to date are also being returned for public sale.

“In the world of mega events like the FIFA World Cup & the Olympics, late returns to the public ticketing pool are the norm. This affords fans a last-minute opportunity to get their hands on tickets that were not previously available for purchase,” reasoned Price, attributing returns in some markets to the failure of Pakistan and India to qualify for the Super eights.

“We anticipated that many India and Pakistan supporters would have been last-minute travelers, possibly flying in from North America. They are less likely to make that trip now that their teams will not be playing.”

The Commercial Director says the availability of tickets in all four Super 8 venues - Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada and Guyana - now “allows for the opportunity to push the Event even more heavily in countries whose teams have qualified” such as Associate ICC member, Ireland, who defied the odds to advance to the second stage of the tournament.