ICC culls reserve days for World Cup matches

Next Year's World Cup will not have reserve days for matches hit by rain in the preliminary round.

The International Cricket Council's executive council has scrapped the spare days for logistical reasons. The council's chief executive, Malcolm Speed, said getting rid of them ensured that the first stage of the one-day tournament could be completed without disruption.

"The ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 is a significant logistical challenge – the tournament is taking place in three countries, at 15 venues over 43 days," he said. "For this to be managed effectively, the schedule needs a degree of certainty in the first round."

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 executive director, Dr Ali Bacher, added there was a risk that "rain" days could disrupt the rest of the World Cup schedule.

"Everything, including hotel accommodation, air-travel and satellite television time, would have had to be double booked to accommodate these reserve days," he said.

"Logistically for the teams, their supporters, the local and overseas media and the organisers this created several potential risks to the tight schedule and had the potential to disrupt the remainder of the tournament. In the end, there was little option, but to move away from the reserve days for the first round."

Reserve days will still apply to matches from the Super 6 stage of the tournament from 7 March 2003 onwards, when a reserve day has been set aside for all Super 6 matches and the semi-finals on 18 and 20 March. For the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on March 23, two reserve days have been set aside. For the preliminary round matches, to be played between 9 February and 4 March 2003, points will be shared if no result is possible on the day of the match.