After a trying decade for England cricket, their chance to host the 1999 World Cup was seen as a prized opportunity to revitalize the sport by capturing the public imagination when the carnival came to town. It was a mighty task. 

To do so, a lot needed to go right both on and off the field. Some did, some didn’t – not helped by England’s premature and controversial departure. 

But for all the mishaps that can be looked back on two decades later, such as a lacklustre opening ceremony or a belated tournament theme song, World Cup 99 left a significant and long-lasting legacy due to the cricket that was played and the diverse audiences that packed out the stadiums across the country. 

This was no easy puzzle to piece together, and in an environment before the ICC had complete control over global events, the job was left to a handful of dedicated staff at ECB Headquarters to make it work. 

Terry Blake was the man charged with the overall responsibility as the tournament director. He joins The Greatest Season that Was, World Cup 99, to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the Carnival of Cricket.

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