London, May 18: The British media has strongly favoured hosting the World Cup in this time of the year and at small venues, while taking a swipe at the last edition of the event held in the Indian sub-continent in 1996.This was apparently in response to the criticism from Pakistan manager Zafar Altaf that the season was not right to hold the event and venues were too small.``The batsmen, the spinners and the medium pacers had the conditions in their favour on the sub-continent last time. This time at least, for as long as it remains the murky month of May, it is the fast and medium fast bowlers who are going to enjoy themselves most with the hard, white dukes balls and the sides with the exponent of seam, swing and speed who are likely to progress to the super six,'' said one paper. ``These conditions provide truest test yet of which is the best all-round One-day cricket team in the world.''The paper agreed that no sides would be so well supported in this event as the two leading forces from the sub-continent but they came down heavily on Zafar Altaf's comment that venue at Bristol for a match between Pakistan and West Indies was ``too small''.``Come to subcontinent and I will fill a stadium with over a lakh for this type of match,'' he is supposed to have said.
