MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, (CMC) - Barbados will host the final of the ICC World Cup West Indies 2007.
Chris Dehring, managing director of ICC World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc., made the announcement at the Award of Matches Ceremony last night at the Ritz-Carlton Resort, after a closed-door meeting of the 15-member ICC World Cup West Indies 2007 board and officials of world cricket’s governing body.
“I charge the whole country to mobilise itself over the next three years to get Barbados ready to make 2007 a date with destiny and a date that will live on as a glorious chapter in the history of this island,” remarked Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur in a brief television address to the nation following the announcement.
“ I believe Barbadians are soaring on new wings of pride, but they are also humbled by the awesome responsibility that now falls to us to showcase the Caribbean in a new and unique way as a world-class civilisation.
“This is the culmination of a century of excellence in cricket and I am happy this historic moment is taking place in the presence of people like Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Clyde Walcott, Joel Garner, Desmond Haynes and others, who have shown even before this event that Barbados is and can be world class.”
PM Arthur was speaking at the Sherbourne Conference Centre just outside the Barbados capital of Bridgetown, where he watched the announcement in the company of Sir Garfield, the legendary former Barbados and West Indies all-rounder, as well as other former cricket stars, World Cup Barbados, Government, and cricket officials.
Barbados, whose cricket heritage is arguably the richest and strongest in the Caribbean, will also host three of the biggest matches in the quarterfinals, also known as the Super Eight league.
Sir Garfield, the most celebrated son of that rich cricket heritage, was also diminished by the announcement.
“This is magnificent!” he exclaimed. “I have never been moved by events like this, but this has really moved me and I am very happy that Barbados has achieved this wonderful goal.”
Jamaica, where the headquarters of the ICC World Cup WI 2007 Inc. is located, will host the opening ceremony and opening match, as well as all the matches in the group that contains West Indies, and one of the semifinals.
St Lucia, whose ultra-modern Beausejour Stadium has propelled it into the mainstream of international cricket, has won the right to host the preliminary round of group matches involving England and the other semifinal.
Trinidad & Tobago, whose Queen’s Park Oval currently has the largest seating capacity in the Caribbean, will host one of the four preliminary groups with matches involving India, while St Kitts & Nevis, whose selection as one of the eight host venues was a pleasant surprise, will host the other preliminary group involving Australia.
Outside of Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada and Guyana will also host matches in the Super Eight league.
Antigua & Barbuda plans to construct a new 20,000-seater stadium and will host three of the other biggest matches in the Super Eight league.
Guyana too, plans to construct a new 20,000-seater stadium and Grenada, like some of the others, will undertake a major upgrade to its Queen’s Park Stadium.