PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-The Trinidad and Tobago government is planning to bid for the opening ceremony of the 2017 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to be staged at the long awaited Brian Lara Stadium which is nearing completion, according to media reports here.
Work on the stadium was restarted a year ago after a delay in construction that ran for several years but now officials are looking to finish work by January 2017.
The Guardian newspaper has quoted government sources as saying a bid will be made to CPL for the stadium to host the opening ceremony in July to coincide with the official opening of the ground.
Construction of the facility started in 2006 with an estimated cost of $500 million TT dollars however this figures is expected to have increased significantly as a result of cost overruns and the increase in the prices of materials.
The Brian Lara stadium, named in honour of the former West Indies captain and one of the finest batsmen of his era, will serve as a training facility for cricket players.
It will feature four indoor cricket training pitches with computerized biometric technology to measure an athlete’s performance, including two full-length run-up pitches for fast-bowlers.