Cricket World Cup 2015 launched
Kapil Dev with Prime Minister Rudd at the official launch
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today officially launched the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup 2015 with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Federal Minister for Sport Don Farrell. Indian cricketer Kapil Dev was present at the launch in Melbourne.
This Cricket World Cup is one of the world’s largest sporting events and will demonstrate Australia’s expertise in delivering outstanding major sporting events.
The Cricket World Cup is expected to attract an additional 50,000 international tourists to Australia, reaching a global audience of over 900 million people and generating an estimated $360 million in additional direct expenditure across Australia and New Zealand.
A total of 49 one day matches will be played at venues in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian venues that have received significant infrastructure upgrades funded by the Federal Government including the Sydney Cricket Ground, Adelaide, Bellerive and Manuka Ovals will host matches.
The Cricket World Cup will showcase Australia as a preferred trade, investment and recreation destination and to boost opportunities for Australian firms to build international business connections.
Co-hosting the Cricket World Cup with New Zealand has added significance being the ANZAC centenary in 2015.
The Cricket World Cup 2015 is the 11th edition of the tournament and was previously hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 1992.
The Federal Government has worked in partnership with the New Zealand Government, Local Organising Committee, the International Cricket Council, States and Territories to deliver a world class event.
The Cricket World Cup is an exciting global sporting event on our door step and the Rudd Government is committed to maximising the benefits for all Australians.
Australia are included in Pool A with co-hosts New Zealand plus England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and two qualifiers.
Pool B contains South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and a qualifier.
The 14 host cities are Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier, Nelson, Hamilton, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wellington.
The top four teams in each pool will contest the quarter-finals.
Every team in the tournament will play pool matches in both countries.
If Australia qualify for the quarter-finals, they will play that game at Adelaide Oval.
Should Australia make the semi-finals, they will play that match at the SCG unless they come up against New Zealand, in which case the team finishing higher in the pool stage will have home ground advantage.
India are the defending champions. Pakistan won the tournament when it was last staged in Australia and New Zealand in 1992.
Australia open their campaign at the MCG against England on February 14.
Their other pool matches are v Bangladesh at the Gabba on February 21, v New Zealand at Eden Park on February 28, v qualifier 2 at the WACA on March 4, v Sri Lanka at the SCG on March 8 and v qualifier 3 at Bellerive Oval on March 14.
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