ICC MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dubai, 8 January 2008

 

ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier moved to South Africa

 

The ICC today announced that the Women's World Cup Qualifier event, scheduled to be staged in Lahore, Pakistan from 18-24 February 2008, will now take place in South Africa instead.

 The decision was arrived at following independent security reports and extensive discussions by ICC management and the ICC Women's Committee.

 The event will be staged in conjunction with Cricket South Africa and the Boland Cricket Union in the Stellenbosch district of the Western Cape over the same dates.

 The tournament had originally been arranged to take place in Lahore last November but was postponed for security reasons until after the proposed election date of 8 January. But with the rescheduling of that vote for 18 February, the decision was made to move the event to South Africa.

 The event involves eight teams - Bermuda, Ireland, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe - with the top two sides going forward to the ICC Women's World Cup in Australia in 2009.

 "It is unfortunate that the timing of the event ended up clashing with the elections and forcing us to change the venue," said ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed.

 "I would like to thank all those from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who so enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to host this event. We remain committed to international cricket being played in Pakistan but, sadly, events beyond the control of the ICC and the PCB have conspired against us on this occasion," said Mr Speed.

 "Thanks are also due to Cricket South Africa and particularly those from Boland who have been able to take over the running of this tournament at short notice," he added.

 "The safety of all participants is our number-one priority and on the basis of the independent advice we have received - as well as the material concerns expressed by many of the participating countries - we concluded it was not appropriate to stage the tournament at this time."

 The ICC Women's Committee is made up of Betty Timmer (chairwoman), Catherine Campbell (EAP), Belinda Clark (co-opted), Shubhangi Kulkarni (Asia), Kerri Laing (Africa), Siobh'n McBennett (Europe) and Carol Whilby-Maxwell (Americas).

-ENDS-