— Lorgat optimistic of another great ICC event; wants the Caribbean to successfully host next year’s Twenty20 World Cup as tickets officially go on sale from today
In the presence of the Caribbean and the world’s finest cricketers, Clive Lloyd, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Garfield Sobers and Joel ‘Big Bird’ Garner just to name a few, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially launched it’s ticket sales for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup at the outstanding facilities of the Kensington Oval in Barbados Saturday evening.
Splashed with the tournament’s phrase, Captivating, Contagious Cricket, cricketing greats of the past, along with representatives from the ICC and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), officially declared ticket box offices in the Caribbean and around the world open.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ICC Haroon Lorgat expressed high optimism that 2010 World T20 will be just as or even more exciting that the two previous showings in South Africa and England and also assured West Indians that a reoccurrence of 2007 Cricket World Cup was not possible.
“We want to see people filling the party stands, enjoying the sights, sounds and fellowship of a day at the cricket. We want them to bring their conch shells, their drums, their flags and banners. We want them to bring their voices, their sense of humour and their passion for the game and for their team,” Lorgat said.
The South African Lorgat says that the ICC …”recognizes the unique nature of cricket in the West Indies and we want this to be a cricket tournament with a genuine West Indian feel. This is another wonderful opportunity for the West Indian countries to prove again their ability to stage a major world event right here in the Caribbean.”
The 49 year-old Lorgat, who took up the post in April of 2008, succeeding Australian Malcolm Speed, declared that the countdown was on now with the four host countries to ensure the focus of the world will be on another great ICC event. Cricket in this part of the world Lorgat said, has captured the imagination of fans in every corner of the globe.
He added that every team has its own way of doing things and the style, passion and power of how the game has been played by generations of West Indian cricketers is their signature, their indelible mark that will remain forever. Meanwhile, ICC WT20 Tournament Director Robert Bryan was obdurate in his address to the gathering in stating that the Caribbean will deliver what he calls the best Twenty20 World Cup ever.
This is not the first time that the Jamaican Bryan is soaking his feet in the deep waters of one of the games spectacles as he was the CEO Operations of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in his homeland.
“The ICC World Twenty/20 is no ordinary tournament; it’s the best from the world of Twenty/20 cricket. It is the pinnacle of Twenty/20 achievements so if you’re a player, we expect you to bring your ‘A’ game, your best bowling, batting and fielding,” said the Tournament Director.
“If you’re a fan we understand and know that no one does it like they do in the West Indies, we advise you to bring noise makers, your best costumes, your brightest colours, your biggest cheers. Bring it on we say, the speed will be captivating, the energy will be contagious, the tournament will deliver the best captivating, contagious cricket” , Bryan blissfully added.
President of the WICB Julian Hunte said that the Caribbean was less than 200 days away from another signature moment in its history and in the annals of cricket within the West Indies.
Hunte said that not so long ago, the possibility of a world-class sporting event coming to the Caribbean would have been considered at best a fanciful notion.
“Now, here we are preparing diligently for our second international cricket tournament in less than three years with the confidence and professionalism of seasoned experts.”
“Yes, the tickets prices are very attractive, some might even say cheap – and this helps. It is not often that a fan can boast of seeing some of the best players in a sport compete in a final for US$40. In fact, it’s TWO finals for that price – both the men’s and women’s. There is also the potential of watching some riveting first round match-ups for just US$5. Special consideration has also been given to Under-16 fans, as you will hear later,” the WICB boss said.
Four venues will be used next year for the games showpiece event with Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia staging the men’s tournament and St Kitts hosting the women’s.
The National Stadium at Providence will play host to the first round matches where Guyanese will get a chance to witness the opening of the ICC WT20 on April 30 along with all the West Indies matches.
Tickets for the stands will be sold at US$10 and grounds or grass mound as it is known are being sold at US$5 and party stands US$65 while children under will be admitted for free.
St Lucia and Barbados were fortunate to host both super eight and semi-finals along with the first round sets of matches, but the Kensington Oval was named the home of the finals for the male and females championships.
Tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis with a minimal of four tickets per household per match.
