ICC confident of safe and fair World Cup

2015 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is leaving no stone unturned as they have taken all measures to ensure that the upcoming World Cup will be a safe and corruption-free event.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson has confirmed that crickets governing body, having been dictated to by the current world situation, has spent a huge amount on security for the showpiece event, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand starting on the 14 February.

Richardson said: "Security … I suppose it is reflective of the global situation we are in. That has been a big challenge for us. The spend on security in this World Cup is more than ever before.

"Previously, the cost of travel and accommodation would exceed the security projects, but now it is the other way round. It is the biggest expense for the World Cup, apart from the prize money.     

"It has been a challenge, but I think we are very well placed so there is not necessarily a threat to the tournament itself, but obviously we have to be aware of the global situation."

Besides the threat of security, the other major obstacle to this mega event would be match-fixing and spot-fixing, which has hampered cricket over the last few years.

Richardson however feels that with all the positive strides made against corruption in the game over the last few years, he was confident that, with all the ICC's resources, they would have a fair tournament.

The 55 year-old Richardson said: "The other factor of course is match-fixing and spot-fixing. Any incident along those lines will be a disaster for the event. However, I think the level of preparedness for this event is again the best we have ever been.

"The number of approaches, the number of reports that we are getting from players, shows that the players have got this very much in the forefront of their minds and they are taking the responsibility seriously."

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