WHILE CRICKET fans worldwide watched the West Indies romp into the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on Thursday, in India, attention was already turning to the next big cricketing event - the ICC Cricket World Cup.

ICC CWC 2007 event mascot, Mello, continued his globe-trotting with a surprise appearance at the semi-final in Jaipur where the West Indies beat South Africa by six wickets to set up a clash with Australia for the title tomorrow.

As Mello greeted enthusiastic spectators in the stands and made the rounds shaking hands and posing for photos, the lively character was seen around the world on the live televised broadcast of the match, with commentators discussing next year's eagerly-awaited tournament which will be played in nine Caribbean countries.

"It was always part of CWC's promotional programme to have Mello tour key international cities. Following his recent stint in New York and, with the ICC Champions Trophy being the biggest tournament leading up to the Cricket World Cup, it was imperative that Mello's next stop be India to meet and greet fans and media during the Champions Trophy," said ICC CWC 2007 marketing manager, Damon Leon.

"India is one of the key participating nations in CWC 2007 and fans from that country are in the top 10 for ticket sales heading into the last month of phase two of public ticketing."

Meanwhile, ICC CWC 2007 managing director and CEO Chris Dehring says a resurgent West Indies team is the perfect fillip to prompt host venue nationals to get their CWC tickets now and he anticipates a knock-on effect in ticketing sales.

"By their performance so far and reaching the final, the West Indies have installed themselves as genuine contenders for the Cricket World Cup. I expect we will see a surge in ticket sales to Caribbean fans, especially for the West Indies matches," reasoned Dehring.

"It would be even sweeter for the West Indies to beat Australia on Sunday and retain the Champions Trophy. That would certainly ignite the imagination of Caribbean people and spur them not to wait until the last minute as some are traditionally prone to do, he said.