England's premier one-day stadium?

That is the bold claim made by managing director Nick Pike ahead of the fiesta of international cricket scheduled to be played at the Southampton stadium this month.

Along with established Test cricket venues Edgbaston and The Oval, the Rose Bowl has been chosen to co-host the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy - the second most important limited overs international tournament in the world behind the World Cup.

Already Hampshire have been awarded the first-ever Twenty20 international between England and Australia, to be played next year when the Aussies tour this country aiming to win the Ashes for the NINTH successive time.

And Pike is convinced the large attendances the Rose Bowl has already attracted for the newest form of cricket in the English domestic county calendar shows the ECB's faith is well placed.

All five ICC Trophy matches - four group games and a semi-final - have a 15,000 capacity thanks to temporary seating erected at the Rose Bowl.

Just 2,000 tickets remain for the England v Sri Lanka match on Friday September 17, the first time the senior national cricket team have ever played in Southampton.

Almost 10,000 tickets have been sold for India's match against Kenya on Saturday September 11, the first ICC match to take place in Southampton on the second day of the tournament.

But ticket sales are less impressive for Australia's match against minnows the United States on Monday September 13 and West Indies v Bangladesh two days later.

So much so that Hampshire have said that anyone buying a ticket for the Australia v USA clash will have preference when it comes to buying tickets for next summer's Twenty20 international.

"We are very excited," said Pike.

"We think all these games represent something pretty special for local cricket fans and we want them to be well attended. The Rose Bowl is a great venue to watch cricket because all the seats offer great, unobstructed views."

The Rose Bowl hosted its first international in 2003 - in just its third year - when South Africa thrashed Zimbabwe in a NatWest Series qualifying match.

The West End ground was again chosen to host a NatWest Series match in July of this year but the tie between the West Indies and New Zealand, which had seen all 9,000 tickets sold out prior to the day of the game, was totally rained off.

"We must be doing something right," said Pike. "I know everyone who has been to the internationals here has had good things to say, and I know the players themselves were impressed with the facilities.

"I would say there are a lot of counties who will be very jealous that we are hosting these ICC Champions games.

"We were delighted to be awarded the Twenty20 international next summer, and our aim is to become England's premier one-day international venue."

The Twenty20 Cup has been the success story of county cricket in the last two seasons with attendances higher than seen for domestic games for years.

This summer over 25,000 watched Middlesex play Surrey at Lord's - the highest crowd for a domestic cricket game outside of a cup final since the 1950s.

Hampshire had three of the next five largest attendances in the entire competition for games against Middlesex, Kent and Lancashire - conclusive proof to Pike that the Southampton area wants to see the non-stop excitement the tournament serves up.

"The Twenty20 Cup is a family competition and the Rose Bowl is a family ground," he said. "I am sure the Twenty20 Cup will become a core component of the county game - you will see more of it in 2005 and more again the year after.

"That is because it serves up what people want to see, and it does away with the stuffy image cricket still has in places."

ICC Champions Trophy tickets can be obtained by telephoning 0876 2430291.