This April?s inaugural 20-20 World Cricket Classic is on course to be a rip-roaring success, according to organiser Keith Pont.

More than 70 former Test and first-class cricketers, including Australian batsman Greg Blewett and West Indian fast bowler Kenny Benjamin, have so far signed playing contracts with English charity the Get Fit Foundation ? the international body behind the new venture.

The Classic will see teams from Australia, New Zealand, India, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, England and South Africa travel to Bermuda for a week-long cricketing extravaganza at the National Sports Centre, where Clay Smith?s side will also pit their skills against some of the greats of the game.

?I?m delighted with how it is all going,? said Pont, who is the GFF?s chief executive and a former county cricketer with Essex.

?We?ve just negotiated a merchandising contract with a major supplier and I will be coming out to Bermuda at the end of the month to get a lot of the on-Island work done. The teams we?ve got coming will all be very strong and the cricket will be very competitive.

?The West Indians are the only side where the numbers are looking a little thin at the moment but I had a meeting with (captain) Joel Garner in London last week and he assured me that there would not be any problem. There are still three months to go, and I?ve got no concerns at all about the make up of the teams.?

Accompanying Pont on his trip here in three weeks time will be Richard Tigwell from Notts Sports, the English company charged with importing the high-tech artificial surface on which all games are to be played.

?Richard will be bringing a technician along with him for a site visit, to work out the timetable for when the pitch should be brought in and how it should be laid,? said Pont.

The surface, which will incorporate the latest synthetic pitch technology, is set to remain at the NSC after the tournament has finished.

It is understood the Bermuda Cricket Board are looking into the possibility of purchasing several more for use at club grounds Island-wide.

The Cricket Classic is being co-ordinated in Bermuda by John Kane, the man responsible for the hugely successful rugby equivalent which takes place every November.

?I know some people have been a bit sceptical, but I?m convinced this event is going to huge,? said Kane.

?We on the World Rugby Classic team have already learnt a lot from the various people from overseas involved in this, particularly about the upgrade of our facilities. So I think we will all benefit from the event.?

Government have already pledged $1m in good and services for the event which opens with Gus Logie?s side taking on the coach?s former team-mates on April 23.