ANTICIPATION is building for the June 1-29 International Cricket Council T20 World Cup, to be hosted in the West Indies and USA.
Six venues – Guyana, Barbados, Antigua, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago – in the Caribbean play host to the majority of games while three cities in the US – Florida, Dallas, New York – will also be utilised.
Just as the hype is building around the region, Caribbean stadia are being refurbished and further developed to better facilitate a tsunami of international cricketers, staff, fans and media.
In Trinidad, the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba is set to host five matches, including the second semi-final.
Currently, construction work is being done at the venue to provide a more comfortable atmosphere for visiting and home fans and media. Likewise, the welcomed renovation is also being done at the other venues.
Two-time West Indies T20 World Cup winner Samuel Badree believes these restored stadia are integral to the successful hosting of ICC’s showpiece event.
However, he remains hopeful that whatever restoration works are done, that they can also be used and benefitted from, by young upcoming cricketers in the region, post-World Cup.
The former world number one T20 bowler, who spoke at the tournament’s 100-days to go launch at C3 Centre last week, wants to see the improved venues aid the progress of the region’s youngsters.
This is the second time the region has played host to the T20 World Cup - the first in 2007. Additionally, in 2010, the Caribbean also hosted the World T20 Championship and then in 2018, the Women’s World T20 was staged here.
“There has been tremendous investment by the various regional governments and boards to facilitate this World Cup,” he said.
“It’s not the first time that West Indies will be hosting a world event and I’m hopeful that post-World Cup, and all the investment that has been made in the facilities, there’s some sort of programmes in place, that these facilities don’t go unused for a length of time until, perhaps, the next World Cup comes around.”
The Brian Lara Cricket Academy will host West Indies versus New Zealand (June 12), Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea (June 13), New Zealand against Uganda (June 14), New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (June 17) and the second semifinal (June 27).
West Indies is drawn in Group C along with New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea.
Badree added, “I’m hoping that the various territories, boards and sports ministries put together some programmes so that the long people in the countries can benefit from this significant investment put into these facilities. It must have continuity and not just be improved for hosting this tournament only.”
The Caribbean’s T20 World Cup venues are Brian Lara Cricket Academy (TT), Kensington Oval (Barbados), Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (St Lucia, Arnos Vale Stadium (St Vincent), Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Guyana National Stadium (Guyana).
And in the US, matches bowl off at Central Broward Park
