West Indies hope to make home advantage count in 2007

The idea had the support of chief executive Malcolm Speed, but officials decided to stick with a single, winner-takes-all final.

West Indies will stage the 2007 event and games in each of four first round groups will be confined to one island.

"The West Indies offers unique logistical challenges for a tournament of this nature," said Speed.

The top two from each group will progress to a round-robin second phase where teams will play six games against sides who qualified from the other three groups.

It gives us the best opportunity for the best four teams to come through to the semi-final stage Malcolm Speed

The top four teams will then go through to the semi-finals, which, like the final, will remain as single matches.

"It was a rare loss for me on that argument," said Speed.

"The sense in the end was that the Cricket World Cup is about one match, sudden death, best team on the day wins the World Cup."

The decision to base first round groups in one region is intended to reduce the amount of travelling by players.

Various West Indian nations are submitting bids for the right to host games, but Speed acknowledged a tender from the USA was also expected.

ICC plans US initiative

"There will be at least one group from the United States that will bid to host matches, and it will be in a competitive bidding process with the West Indian islands.

"The United States, as a sporting nation, has a great deal of potential. It's the closest country to the West Indies, so there would be good reasons that it would be of interest to us to have them there," he added.

The 2007 tournament will involve 51 matches in total, three less than in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya earlier this year.