Unless local cricket officials and the government wake up from their slumber, Guyana could become the `Rip Van Winkle’ of the Caribbean by the time the World Cup cricket competition arrives in the Caribbean in 2007.
Already the race to stage matches of the Windies World Cup 2007 cricket competition has started. But, while the rest of the region forges ahead with developmental plans there has been nothing but inertia from the local decision makers.
This lack of activity could make Guyana easily the `Forgotten Land’ of the Caribbean as far as the staging of future cricket matches is concerned.
If, as one suspects, Guyana will not be entering the race for some reason or the other, then Test and One-day cricket in this country could soon become extinct.
For Guyana will still have `Old Bourda’ as its lone international Test venue compared to all the new ultra modern stadiums which have or will soon spring up around the region under the aegis of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
This country already suffers from one major setback - the high exchange rate of the Guyana dollar to the US dollar - which effectively ensures that other territories in the region provide the WICB with more lucrative returns for Tests and One-day Internationals.
Add to that old and substandard facilities and an infrastructure which has seen little improvement since the colonial days and you get the picture.
Yet there remains a deafening silence from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the government, the two key players in the decision to join the race of staging World Cup 2007 matches.
Not that there should be any deliberation on the matter. There is no other alternative. Either the local authorities get cracking or say goodbye to not only the staging of World Cup cricket matches but future Tests and One-day cricket too.
It is not a pleasant prospect. So why the delay? Already it is public knowledge that a Guyana World Cup Committee has been formed but apart from this announcement, there has been little other information on Guyana’s 2007 World Cup bid.
The Georgetown Football Club (GFC) and the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) are lucky to be situated next to each other and have indicated that regardless of World Cup 2007 they are going ahead with a planned merger.
But ideally, they would like the powers that be to indicate whether the planned merger would be the proposed choice which might enable them to garner more funds for their expansion. And with support from the government for the GCC/GFC merger, they might even be able to convert the Botanical Gardens into an amusement park where visitors can take a few minutes respite away from the cricket.
Countries such as Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad, three of the `Big Four’ of CARICOM have publicly stated plans to get themselves in order for 2007.
In the case of Barbados, they have appointed a technical team to work on the `Kensington Oval Re-development Footprint’- a report which will be followed by architectural plans and construction work later this year or early next year.
In Jamaica, Prime Minister PJ Patterson recently appointed a special committee to marshal activities in preparation for Jamaica’s bid to stage matches and events come 2007. The steering committee includes representatives of the government, state agencies, the tourism sector, other private sector groups, the security forces, and the cricket and the academic communities.
It has been vested with the responsibility of creating a structured approach that would implement every aspect necessary for Jamaica to successfully stage matches and events of the 2007 World Cup.
Trinidad too, has announced plans for the development of a modern cricket stadium next to the Dwight Yorke stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, in preparation for the World Cup.
Not to be outdone, the government of Antigua and Barbuda and the government of China have signed an agreement on economic and technical co-operation worth some 15 million yuan.
China, it was announced, will re-construct the Antigua Recreation Ground into a state-of-the-art sports stadium. The project will include a three-story VIP area capable of seating over two thousand persons, changing rooms and an art gallery type lobby. All the stands will be fully covered upon completion of the project.
All of this is in direct contrast to the apathy which exists here which gives the impression that the decision makers in Guyana are oblivious to the fact that time is fast running out.
The affiliates of the WICB, apart from competing against each other, also face stiff competition from the developed countries.
Canada, emboldened by their enterprising 2003 World Cup showing in South Africa where opener John Davison slammed the fastest ever World Cup century off 67 balls have put forward a proposal to co-host the tournament.
The WICB, repeatedly emphasised that the tournament is not theirs but the ICC’s, whose stated policy is to develop the game far and wide. In light of this, the WICB is also considering staging matches in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Florida.
In a bid to appease countries such as Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad, the WICB announced that the two semi-finals and the final would not be held in North America, thus giving further encouragement to the region. Imagine the honour of hosting the World Cup final not to mention the financial returns.
Yet even in the face of all that the authorities in Guyana remain unmoved.
It is as if they have not heeded Chris Dehring’s warning that the traditional venues of which Bourda is one, have no divine right to host matches of the tournament.
Perhaps they feel that the Caribbean venues cannot possibly compete with those in North America. Canada’s Skydome, home of the Toronto Blue Jays basketball team holds about 50,000 persons.
Stadiums in the USA hold even more and there have been talks about staging matches at the popular Disney World.
If it is that the authorities here feel that the time is too short for the many infrastructure works that will be needed to get the country in shape for 2007 which includes upgrading, airport facilities, roads, transportation, hotel accommodation, then they should come out and say so.
Or if is funding that is the problem, this should also be declared.
The World Cup 2007 presents an immediate opportunity for the region as a whole and Guyana in particular to improve their infrastructure which could result in increased tourism even after the World Cup fever and the excitement of the tournament fades away.
So will the government recognise the importance of staging World Cup matches here and bring Guyana in line with the ICC stipulated requirements or will they decided that the investment is not worth it? That is the question.
However one looks at it, the 2007 World Cup will be a financial boon for the Caribbean with over $US500m expected to be ploughed into the economies of the region.
And with the present state of crime in the country the World Cup 2007 represents an opportunity for this country to forget all the ailments of this fragmented society and channel the energies of its peoples towards a common goal- that of providing a facility and an atmosphere unsurpassed in the history of the staging of cricket matches in the region.
If it means that in so doing, this land of six races will unite in peaceful harmony that will be an unexpected bonus and a feat that even the politicians cannot possibly pull off.
But there are also many other reasons for hosting matches of the 2007 World Cup.
West Indies won the first two World Cup and time is ripe for them to win their third. Proper facilities and proper team preparation can result in a victory.
And while the geography of the Caribbean poses a problem with inter-island travel, a proposed meeting of CARICOM officials next month in Guyana, to which the WICB has been given a special invitation, should address this problem.
The WICB has been invited to participate in civil society’s “Forward Together Encounter” scheduled for July 2-3 in Guyana.
The meeting of CARICOM and WICB officials of which Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Lester Bird, is the chairman of the sub-committee on cricket, should also address the present state of West Indies cricket and what steps should be put in place to improve the region’s infrastructure for 2007.
But what of Guyana? The only thing certain is that hosting matches for the World Cup in 2007 in Guyana will remain a dream that may not be fulfilled unless a decision is immediately forthcoming.