India will prepare for the 2003 World Cup in the eastern coastal city of Durban as the organisers announced training camp locations on Monday, sprinkling competitors around South Africa.

They also announced that cricketing legends Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Richard Hadlee, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border had accepted invitations to act as international ambassadors for the tournament.

Defending champions Australia will land in the remote mining town they requested while the host team got beautiful Cape Town.

All 14 teams in the competition except Zimbabwe, which borders South Africa, are expected in the country at least a week prior to the tournament.

They will complete their preparations in one of the country's cricket centres, and play at least two games against provincial sides, Dr Ali Bacher, the tournament's executive director said on Monday at a news conference.

Australian cricket authorities requested Potchefstroom, an unexciting backwater 100 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg, as their base because of the positive feedback given by the Australian under-19 squad, who stayed there during the 1998 Junior World Cup.

Bangladesh will prepare for the cup at Pietermaritzburg. Sri Lanka will be based in central Kimberley. Pakistan and Canada have been allocated Johannesburg, and Namibia nearby Benoni.

The West Indies was allocated the central city of Bloemfontein, while England and Kenya will respectively be based in the southern coastal cities of Port Elizabeth and East London.

Holland was allocated Stellenbosch, a farming town near Cape Town.

"We endeavour to be fair and place every team in a town or city where we are confident they will be assured of the best possible treatment," the South African Press Association quoted Bacher as saying.

The opening pool match of the tournament will take place in Cape Town on February 6, 2003, featuring South Africa against either England or the West Indies.

The English are not currently in the hosts' group, but that could change if Pakistan soundly beats New Zealand in an upcoming limited overs series - a result that would alter seedings to be finalised by the end of September.

The official match programme for the 2003 event will be announced October 27.

Bacher said $1 million had been approved to provide security for the tournament.

© PTI