Guyana faces a shortage of hotel rooms for the 2007 cricket World Cup, needing at least another 500 rooms for visitors, the Sports Minister said. The government has begun talks with hoteliers, urging them to upgrade rooms, and cricket organizers will soon meet with locals who are willing to offer homes or run bed-and-breakfasts for the first cricket World Cup to be held in the Caribbean, Sports Minister Anthony Xavier said late Friday. Officials were also considering proposals from investors to rent smaller cruise ships to serve as temporary housing. Thousands of cricket fans were expected to attend the 51 matches, which will be played in Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, Grenada, Trinidad, Guyana and St. Vincent. The matches will be played from March 13-April 26, 2007. The 800,000 tickets for the event can be applied for from May 1. Reprinted from msn.foxsports.com