The West Indies are on target with their preparations to host the cricket World Cup 2007, Chris Dehring, managing director for the next World Cup said.

Dehring made his comments following the West Indies Cricket Board's presentation of the official report of the delegation from the Caribbean to the last World Cup in South Africa and a submission to the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in St John's, Antigua last week.

WICB president Wes Hall, Roger Brathwaite, chief executive of the WICB, and Don Lockerbie, the new venue development director for the World Cup, also attended the presentation.

Asked about the readiness of the region to host the event, Dehring said since preparations began immediately after the bid to host the competition was won five years ago, the West Indies were on course to host the World Cup in just under four years time.

With respect to the process for the selection of venues, Dehring said from October/November this year, a thorough  tender process will begin in which each interested territory will bid to be an official World Cup venue, an ICC statement said on Friday.

Noting that the venue is not just the playing field but the whole country including airports, seaports and hotels, Lockerbie said the tender document will be developed by the World Cup Committee and its Venue Assessment department with the aid of a professional team of regional and global experts referred to as the Venue Assessment Team.