Hosting the Indian Premier League cricket tournament is helping to burnish South Africa's image abroad and dispel worries about its readiness to host the 2010 soccer World Cup, according to cricket officials there.
The world's biggest Twenty20 tournament, which started in Cape Town on the weekend, was moved to South Africa last month due to security concerns in India as it holds general elections.
The second edition of the IPL has brought a much-needed boost to South Africa, where flagging ticket sales for the FIFA Confederations Cup which starts in June had raised concerns over the country's ability to host a successful soccer World Cup in 2010.
The choice also underlines the stability of South Africa's political system. South Africans vote in the most hotly contested national election since the end of apartheid tomorrow but few expect widespread violence to mar the poll or interfere with the tournament.
