Money talks at World Cup

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) Reggae, rum and Caribbean charm will join the party at the cricket World Cup next month when the revenue generated from 51 matches will be as important to the tournament as the names of the eventual winners.

In the one-day game in general, sponsored sightscreens and outfields are now commonplace and woe betide any player who speaks to the media without standing in front of a board emblazoned with adverts.

The traditionalists may lament the route the shorter form of the game has taken but without innovations such as day/night matches and fielding restrictions, crowds and television income would inevitably be lower.

Cricket merchandising has also reached another level thanks to replica coloured kit which fans, used to sporting soccer or rugby jerseys, would rather wear than the non-distinguishable white team shirts of old.

The onset of Twenty20 cricket, a slogfest that fans can watch on their way home from work, further underlines cricket's obsession with attracting a younger audience, while even the players have started over-celebrating like soccer players.

MODERN GENERATION It is all a far cry from the first World Cup in England in 1975, which was spawned partly out of fear that five-day tests were too dull for the modern generation. It took place after only 18 one-day internationals had been played around the world.

West Indies won that first tournament and a repeat on April 28 in Barbados would not only herald joyous scenes across the Caribbean but also the ringing of cash tills and a greater interest in the game there.

''All things being equal West Indies will produce the best World Cup ever,'' West Indies bowling great Wes Hall told Reuters. ''In 2007 there is no Olympic Games, no football World Cup. So let's say that in 2007 it is cricket's time.'' Since the golden days of the 1970s and 80s when West Indies ruled the world, they have failed to develop enough new talent with young Caribbean men choosing to play basketball and other sports because of their exposure to American television.

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