By Orin Davidson
World Cup fever is spreading as the countdown to cricket’s biggest showdown is intensifying less than three weeks away from the 2024 T20 Championship
Guyana’s Providence Stadium, slated to host three games, will be under the world’s spotlight where West Indies’ quest to capitalize on its home advantage will begin against minnows Papua New Guinea.
Built back in 2007, it was one of three completely new stadia done in the Region for its first staging of a Global competition at the 2007 50-overs World Cup.
And until now it has remained the facility that replaced the historic Georgetown Cricket Club Bourda ground , as Guyana’s premier venue for international, regional and local competition, without any effort made to boost its identity with names associated with retired greats of the sport.
Given the multitude of Guyanese players who made the country proud over the years, with whom the facility could be associated with, it is a shame the stadium is still identified with the village it was built in.
With tickets currently being the hot topic of discussion for this World Cup as fans lament difficulties in purchasing online, it is ludicrous to have Red Stand, Green Stand and Orange Stand etc. being advertised for accommodation at Providence.
It appears as though Guyanese players’ history of achievement is non-existent or the stadium decision makers too lazy to fathom meaningful or attractive names to boost the facility’s image.
When the sport’s best known television pundits get behind the microphones to describe the action from June 1, they surely will take pleasure in describing sixes being hit into Greenidge and Haynes stand or fast bowlers running in from the Hall and Griffith Stand end, as is case at Kensington Oval in Barbados where its cricket heroes are richly honoured at its number one facility.
Likewise, the beauty of the South Trinidad countryside on entering the Brian Lara stadium named in honour of the country’s most outstanding sportsperson, where one of the World Cup semi-finals games is slated for, is likely to be stressed. Similarly, the fast nature of the pitch at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia will be commented on.
On the contrary , in Guyana where the other semi-final will be played, the analysts will have nothing to wax lyrical about Providence if and when native Guyanese fast bowler Shamar Joseph will be running in to bowl. Embarrassingly it will be from the generic Red Stand and Green Stand ends.
At a time when all of the accredited journalists would know of Guyana’s outstanding contribution to the Regional team’s success since it graced the arenas in 1928, it rankles that fulfilling recognition is still found wanting.
Only last week, the country’s Minister Responsible for Sport Charles Ramson was proudly taking Sir Clive Lloyd on tour of additional new training facilities at the stadium.
It obviously wasn’t accidental, rather a well-planned event because Lloyd happens to be one of Guyana’s most revered cricketers who stands tall as a luminary wherever the sport is played around the world.
His impact as batsman and leader of the West Indies team in a sterling career of close to 30 years is unmatched in local circles, spread over a Test career of 110 games including the second-best run-aggregate among Guyanese. And in spearheading West Indies with his captaincy to an historic 15-year unbeaten run in Tests, Lloyd left a commanding legacy of excellence, unrivalled in the history of world sport. When the team’s two 50 overs World Cup title wins under Lloyd’s leadership are taken into account, it is hardly surprising he’s the lone Guyanese sportsperson to be honoured with a knighthood from the Queen of England.
And instead of being part of a Government photo opportunity, it should’ve been an occasion last week where the ex- West Indies captain along with Guyana’s other noted champions in the sport being honoured in a renaming ceremony of the stadium, in the few days left in the run-up as a host of the game’s premier short format competition.
How rewarding and well received it would’ve been for the Government-owned facility being christened the Clive Lloyd Stadium and the pavilion and three main stands being affixed with titles honouring the likes of Rohan Kanhai, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Lance Gibbs, the late Roy Fredericks, Basil Butcher and Colin Croft among others.
Kanhai, Guyana’s first true great batsman was an extraordinary talented stroke maker who was accomplished against all varieties of bowling, in the most challenging of conditions. He ended a 79-game Test career with the third biggest haul of test runs among Guyanese. And it would be fitting for the stadium’s pavilion to be titled the Rohan Kanhai Pavilion.
Guyana’s leading Test run scorer and the Region’s second best behind Lara, Chanderpaul should have the Red Stand given the meaningful Shiv Chanderpaul Stand title while Gibbs, the world’s first spin bowler to notch 300 Test wickets along with Fredericks, Butcher and Croft are all deserving of a share in the re-naming of the other sections of the facility.
Even through it wasn’t a requirement of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for host nations to have facilities meaningfully identified for the mega event, it was an opportunity for the Government to tangibly honour our cricket heroes by making our number one venue a part of their legacies.
Alas, such deserving recognition remains wishful thinking.
