As overnight celebrations ushered in the year for which ICC CWC 2007 Managing Director & CEO, Chris Dehring, has been planning and preparing for the last ten years, he is urging Caribbean citizens to place cricket's most prestigious Event among their priorities for the coming year.

"This is a time when people pause and take stock of what they want to achieve for the next 12 months and chart how they will do so and I want all those living in the Caribbean to do exactly that with the Cricket World Cup, if they have not yet done so."

"Everyone needs to ask themselves 'What will my contribution be to this Cricket World Cup? How am I going to impact the Event?' Every person living in this region must be dedicated to whatever they have to do for CWC 2007. It is the only way we can make this tournament the Best Cricket World Cup Ever," said Dehring, in a New Year's rallying call.

Having spearheaded the Caribbean's journey to host the ninth edition of ICC Cricket World Cup for the past decade, CWC's top official noted that, though a significant amount has already been put in place towards hosting the Event, there is still a lot to be done in the two months before the March 5 start of Warm-up matches and eight weeks thereafter, until the April 28 Final.

"None of us can sit back and relax – especially not now. We all need to be united behind this common purpose. It is not a one-man show."

"It's the whole Caribbean region which is hosting ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 – not just one of the nine Host Venues and not just those nine countries either. There’s a lot at stake for this entire archipelago which stretches down to Guyana and the experiences of visitors in the Host Venues – and for that matter in other Caribbean nations which they travel to during tournament time – will be paramount to how our delivery of this Event is viewed internationally.

"Remember, only a fraction of the time that fans are in our homelands will be spent at matches. How they are greeted and treated beyond stadia environs is as, if not more, important," counselled Dehring.

ICC CWC 2007, he added, is a "critical moment in our history as it marks the first major world games of the modern era of complex commercial rights, security arrangements and hosting obligations to be staged in the so-called Third World."

"This is a priceless opportunity to stamp the Caribbean's world-class ability, determination and style indelibly on the global landscape and we must not waste it.

"We must deliver collectively and successfully," declared Dehring.

Source: cricketworldcup.com