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'T20 helping cricket grow beyond traditional boundaries'

April 13, 2010 09:08 IST

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on Monday said that the World Twenty20 format is helping cricket grow beyond its traditional boundaries.

haroon lorgatLorgat was in New Delhi during a  World Twenty20 trophy unveiling ceremony.

The World Twenty20 in 2010, the third in four years, is taking place in the West Indies from April 30 to May 16.

Lorgat said that the ICC wants cricket to attract the kind of attention that the World T20 deserves.

"We all know Twenty20 cricket is exciting…it's fast and it's furious. We hope that it's the kind of format that will allow the game grow beyond the traditional boundaries and what we like to also do is a short, sharp event. We want to attract the attention that it deserves," said Lorgat.

Unlike earlier T20 events, this year the ICC has claimed that it will make tickets more affordable and accessible.

Lorgat said the safety and security of all players and stakeholders involved in the event is also important.

"The ICC regards the safety and security of all participants and stakeholders involved in ICC events, as extremely important. It's of paramount importance. In fact you might recall in recent weeks or months, we have gone to the extent of appointing security manager within the ICC offices," added Lorgat.

The ICC World Twenty20 will see the participation of 12 teams and will be contested by all Test-playing nations, plus qualifiers.

Although the tournament has been held every two years, beginning in 2007, the scheduled ICC Champions Trophy One Day International tournament to be held in the West Indies in 2010 has been revised to a Twenty20 format because the 2008 Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan was postponed for security concerns.

Source: ANI