Organizers of the upcoming Legacy/007 Promotions “Unity T20” Cricket tournament on January 30 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence yesterday confirmed at the official launching that Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan and Christopher Barnwell will captain the respective All-Star teams.
The announcement was made during the tournament’s unveiling at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Pavilion.
The event was graced with the presence of 007/Legacy Promoters, former Parliamentarian James Bond and Ewart Williams along with Sarwan, Digicel Events Manager Louanna Abrams, Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart, Public Relations Officer (PRO) Sean Devers and Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) President Ramchand Ragbeer along with Organising Secretary Wayne Jones.
With the aim of uniting Guyanese through cricket, the day’s festivities will bowl off at 10:00hrs.
Apart from the feature T20 cricket match, the event promises a fun-day atmosphere with rides, the sale of food and other family attractions.
Also, a series of softball matches under the GFSCA umbrella will be played during the course of the day with the feature T20 encounter under lights being the main attraction.
The Caribbean’s top stars, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson, Rajendra Chandrika, Lendl Simmons, Sulieman Benn, Andre Fletcher, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Samuel Badree and others, will feature on the two teams led by Barnwell and Sarwan.
According to Public Relations Officer (PRO) Devers, the two skippers will know their teammates shortly.
Williams, of Legacy Promotions, said that while they are known to support more religious endeavours such as gospel concerts etc., the current state of things in Guyana calls for a lighter atmosphere where persons can relax and unite for one day and as such, they found it necessary to come on board such a venture.
Bond stated that all the confirmed players will be coming to Guyana on January 28 and 29. He also said that the organizers are also exploring the options of carrying the players to Albion, Berbice after successful talks with the Albion Committee were held.
He explained that the possibility of catering to a ruckus Berbice crowd is appealing because it affords those in the Ancient County the opportunity to see the high-profile players thumping sixes and uprooting stumps in the luxury of their own back
yard.
Meanwhile, Abrams said Digicel is forever committed to sports and as the official sponsors of West Indies cricket, coupled with the country’s 50th anniversary which is being observed this year, they saw it necessary to throw their support behind the event which she said can be used to unite Guyanese. She also hinted at special surprises for Digicel customers who purchase tickets for the event.
Apart from the T20 cricket spectacle under lights, the GFSCA will also play a role in warming up the appetites of the fans with the softball matches and Ragbeer thanked the organizers as well as the sponsors for allowing them to be a part of the event.
Recognized by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) promoters also have the support of the GCB and Stuart, the former West Indies pacer, lauded the organizers for approaching the board for advice as well as ensuring that the WICB confirm their support via a letter. He said the GCB decided to come on board after the event seeks to market the sport and its players locally and regionally, without having to venture into International waters.
Sarwan in closing said the event will be a family oriented one and with the best players in the Caribbean in action under one roof, fans can expect a treat. Tickets go on sale from today and are $2,000.
Tickets will be on sale at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) among other venues to be named shortly.
