BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Ernest Hilaire hopes to grow the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship brand value to such a high level that the West Indies Cricket Board will have little trouble being able to find a sponsor for it.
The chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board has reiterated that the regional governing body is spending huge sums on the tournament because it is an investment for the future growth and profit of the game in the region.
“If we stay consistent to this thinking, we should not rush into accepting any sponsorship that is placed on the table,” he said in a television interview during the Final of the competition on Sunday.
“We believe we are building a product that has such value and appeal that we will be able to make a definitive bid for a sponsor that can offer us what we think is the value of it.”
He added: “It does not make sense to try and settle on a sponsor just now because we are not sure that we have reached the value that we want to place on it.
“When we do so however, I can assure you that it will be a substantial amount that we believe will be reflective of the investment we have put in, and what its future value will be. So we may not have a title sponsor just yet, but when we do, it will cover all of the investment we put in.”
Hilaire was delighted with the way the tournament unfolded, and felt the standard of play steadily improved with each match.
“We’ve also seen the crowds get bigger, we have seen the crowds get more excited, and we have seen some close and exciting matches,” he said.
“We also saw a few young players emerge, and coming into the competition, and showing their appetite for T20 cricket, and performing in a way that was entertaining to the crowd.
He said: “I think that we are really impressed with the way the players have embraced the tournament, and the whole tournament has grown from the first edition.
“The reports we have received from people watching overseas have been supportive. They have been impressed with what he have been able to achieve.”
Hilaire was not ready to disclose any plans for the 2012 edition, although he hinted that the competition may be expanded to include another overseas team.
“It is still too early for us to reveal that plans,” he said. “It will be bigger and better than this year for sure. We have already started to talk with a number of interested parties to try to make it a bigger event with more of an international flavour.
“I think West Indians will be pleased with the tournament and what it represents in terms of the new thrust we are trying to provide to West Indies cricket.”
Trinidad & Tobago overcame their inspirational captain Daren Ganga being sidelined with a hand injury to be crowned the new Caribbean Twenty20 champions, following a resounding, 36-run victory over Hampshire on Sunday.