Ireland face West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe

IRELAND have been drawn against host nation the West Indies, along with Pakistan and Zimbabwe, in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

The Irish, who finished runner-up in last week's ICC Trophy tournament are in Pool D and begin their campaign against the African nation on Thursday, March 15. They play Pakistan two days later before a final group outing against the West Indies on March 23. All those games will be played in Jamaica.

The hosts will open the World Cup on March 13 at the newly renovated Sabina Park in Kingston.

Defending champions Australia will begin the defence of their title at the upgraded Warner Park Stadium in St Kitts when they take on ICC Trophy winners Scotland on March 14.

The twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago will host Group B. Group play will commence on March 15 when former champions Sri Lanka meet ICC Trophy qualifiers Bermuda. India and Sri Lanka meet in the group's most alluring fixture on March 23.

Saint Lucia will welcome the teams, officials and fans to Group C of the competition. Play starts at Beausejour on March 14 when 2003 semi-finalists Kenya face another ICC Trophy qualifier, Canada.

Kenya also play the final group game on March 24, against England.

In all four Group stage host venues, six matches will be played over 11 days.

The winners and runners-up from each of the four groups will qualify for the Super 8 stage of the tournament where teams will play each of the other teams except the team which advanced from their own group for a total of six games each.

The Super 8 stage of the tournament, which begins on March 27, will be played in four countries: Antigua, Guyana, Grenada and Barbados.

The last match of this segment of the tournament will take place on April 21.

For the semi-finals, the four remaining teams will travel to Jamaica and Saint Lucia. The first semi-final is on April 24 at Sabina Park in Kingston, where the second and third place finishers from the Super 8's will square off.

The second of the semis is on April 25 at the Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, pitting the first and fourth place finishers from the Super 8's against each other.

The final is on Saturday April 28 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The event logo and event mascot were also unveiled at a Brand Launch event which was streamed live on the internet. The event mascot is a teenage character called Mello who embodies the lifestyle of the region.