The ICC has confirmed that it attaches no blame to a single body or organisation for the problems experienced by a number of countries in obtaining visas for the ICC Trophy in Canada.

In particular, the case of West Africa has received attention, as visa delays prevented the team from participating in the tournament.

In August 2000 the ICC first contacted Associate members to advise them of their responsibilities in obtaining travel documentation and visa clearance in adequate time.

As the host country, Canada extended a welcome to all 24 participating countries. This stopped short of a blanket guarantee for visa approval, as understandably, it reserved the right to assess applications on an individual basis.

There were complex logistical matters to deal with in handling visa applications from 24 countries around the world. West Africa's situation, as a team drawn from four individual countries, certainly added to the difficulties they experienced.

There is no intention to review, reschedule or provide compensation for any matches affected by visa problems during the ICC Trophy. However, the ICC Development department is discussing providing assistance for a possible tour to East Africa by West Africa later in the year.

"It is not appropriate or helpful to apportion blame for this unfortunate situation, especially after the conclusion of what has been widely regarded as a very successful event," commented Clive Hitchcock, ICC's Cricket Operations Manager.

"The advice given to all countries preparing for the tournament was to allow adequate time for processing visas. In the event a number of these applications proved particularly troublesome, and it was extremely unfortunate for the West African team that this prevented them from playing a part in the Trophy."

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