New Zealand will host the next Youth World Cup, next summer, after final ratification was made at the meeting of the International Cricket Council in Melbourne yesterday.

New Zealand Cricket's chief executive Christopher Doig said today that it was likely the tournament will be played from mid-January to mid-February, between New Zealand's international programme.

"We have to pull together a budget but this will be a pretty positive event for New Zealand cricket," he said.

Final confirmation of Doig's plan for the implementation of the 10-year Test programme was made although he said there were still some issues with the political impasse between India and Pakistan.

Under the plan every country would play each other on a home and away basis.

All countries were legally bound to the concept but there was a need to work through the problem and one suggestion Doig made was the implementation of alternative tours should the problem continue.

"Everyone is hoping it will ease but we'll look at the situation," he said.

The advantage for New Zealand from the 10-year plan would be that planning for the international programme would be much more certain than in the past.

"We'll be able to reassure our commercial partners and we will be able to raise revenues offshore through the sale of television packages.

"The good thing for our crowds is that every summer we will have a brand side here, one of the best teams in world cricket. That makes a hell of a lot of difference," he said.

While the concept of the Wisden Test Championship was close to what the 10-year scheme envisaged, so that at any one stage it would be clear what the placings of various teams were in the world, there was some dissatisfaction with the way it worked.

The system is based on home and away series between sides, but some sides might not play each other for several years.

Members of the ICC felt that the system was based only on series wins - there was no account taken of individual Test match wins.

"To a country like Bangladesh a Test win is hugely important and there needs to be a system that gives some recognition to that," he said.

Doig said there was also more discussion on the player eligibility issue. New Zealand recently won approval to have Tama Canning available to play for New Zealand despite the fact he had not completed the mandatory stand-down period.

"The ICC code of conduct makes no differentiation between players who have played 'representative cricket', that is from Under-19 international and above, and the ordinary club cricketer who might not be able to even gain first-class status.

"But, at the moment, that club player is subject to the same stand-down period as Steve Waugh would be," he said.

"There needs to be differentiation in the rules so that lesser-ranked player has a chance to try and play international cricket for another country if he wants.

"Given the current disparity between Australia and other countries, it seems sensible to try and strengthen other countries and provide career opportunities for players," he said.

The question would be looked at although Doig acknowledged there were some concerns from other countries and more discussion was required.

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