Amid much fanfare, pomp, and a stellar showcase of the Guyanese culture through drummers from African and Indian traditions as well as masquerades and choreographed dances, the 9th ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was launched yesterday in Guyana at the MovieTowne Mall, East Coast Demerara.
Simultaneously, the launch was being echoed across fellow host countries in the Caribbean, along with the USA, as part of the 100-day countdown.
At the ceremony, Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President, Bissoondyal Singh, noted that it was a distinct pleasure as the co-chair of the Local Organisation Committee (LOC) and CWI director to be a part of the official launch of the championship.
While this will be the second occasion that the West Indies will play host to the T20 World Cup, Singh noted, “With the West Indies having won the tournament twice and with the possibility of having Guyanese players in the squad, we could be in for a treat. I’m sure the West Indies will be aiming for the opportunity to become the only team to win the tournament three times and the first to win on home soil.”
He also expressed gratitude to the local stakeholders involved in the hosting of the Guyana leg and said that the GCB is looking forward to the presence of the tourists and the fans.
(Photos by Michelangelo Jacobus)
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., said that while Guyana is a small country, it is capable of showing the world that it can produce the best in terms of cricket and the hosting of matches.
He also spoke about how the story of cricket aligns with the story of Guyana, noting, “We are getting the opportunity to show our country on the world stage. Cricket gives us that opportunity.”
Ramson Jr. also hailed the building of the Providence Stadium back in 2007 as an investment and called it a catalyst with respect to the country being able to host major international sporting events. The World Cup will see matches played in the West Indies and USA from June 1–9, with yesterday marking 100 days since the start of the historic event.
The semi-finals are set to be played in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, along with the final in Barbados. This year’s World Cup will be contested by 20 teams, an expansion from 16 teams at the 2022 tournament.
In addition to the two hosts, the top eight teams from the previous tournament automatically qualified, as did the next two teams in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings.
The remaining eight teams were decided via a regional qualification process.
This is the first time that Canada, Uganda, and the United States have qualified for the T20 World Cup. (Michelangelo Jacobus)
