Elworthy appointed head World Cup organiser

LONDON: South African Steve Elworthy will head up the organisation of the 2019 Cricket World Cup being hosted in England and Wales after the former international cricketer was appointed managing director on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old — who made 39 appearances for The Proteas in One-day Internationals (ODIs) and played in four Tests after being capped at the ripe old age of 32 — has accrued vast experience in the organisation of major tournaments.

He was tournament director of the 2007 and 2009 World Twenty20 competitions and the 2013 Champions Trophy held in England and Wales — a competition he is also in charge of organising for the same hosts for next year.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive officer Tom Harrison said Elworthy was the perfect man for the job based on his previous handling of tournaments.

“He has an outstanding track record of delivering fan-friendly tournaments which have been widely admired not just in cricket, but across the wider sports industry,” said Harrison.

“Our congratulations to Steve on his appointment and we will be offering him and his team all the support they need to deliver successful tournaments in both 2017 and 2019.”

Elworthy, who played county cricket in an unhappy spell for Lancashire in 1996 and was dropped on the morning of their appearance in a one day final, said he was looking forward to the biggest challenge of his career which sees it set to get underway in May 2019.