The Big Day
TODAY is the Big Day
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
March 28, 2007
All the official countdowns have ended and the first ball is ready to be bowled, and hit, at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
On the mere cricketing aspect of it, Guyanese will indeed be in a quandary when it comes to where their attention is most focused today.
On the one hand, today's game pitting South Africa against Sri Lanka is the first international game being played at the Providence Stadium. This match is therefore the litmus test for our readiness, something which has been subject to repeated questioning in some quarters over the past week.
On the other hand, our own boys – the West Indies cricket team – have a hell of a task on their hands today. The authoritative and impressive display of batting by Matthew Hayden in Antigua yesterday was perhaps fortunately for the West Indies interrupted by rain. Today, however, Brian Lara will have to steward his men to surmount the formidable 322 runs made by Australia.
Many of us will want to be glued to our television screens to see every single ball bowled and what our team does with it – hopefully making sure either that Australia has many ball retrieval trips to the boundary, or that prospective players in the stands get plenty of practice for their catching skills.
As was reported in yesterday's issue of the Guyana Chronicle, everything is ready for that long anticipated first ball today at Providence. It is time that the members of the LOC are congratulated – whatever their shortcomings, real or perceived; what is without question is that all involved worked to the best of their ability, from CEO Karran Singh to the more than 1,000 volunteers who are contributing their valued time and effort to ensure that CWC 2007 in Guyana is a success.
Those outside of the LOC who pitched in should also be commended. In the accommodation industry, many people stepped up to the wicket, whether we are talking a billion dollar investment like that made by Omprakash Shivraj of Buddy's International Hotel, or the tiniest upgrade by a bed and breakfast registrant.
The Guyanese media should also be commended for what has been largely positive coverage of the run-up to today. If there has been unwarranted negativity or bias in any coverage, then the LOC and those associated will be vindicated or indicted on how the matches scheduled for Guyana come off.
Finally, and most importantly, the people of Guyana need to be recognised for the tremendous support given to Guyana's CWC bid by the general public.
The average Guyanese citizen has been behind virtually every facet of the planning and preparation stage, despite some aspects of which would have inconvenienced many of them.
For every expensive banner or signboard put up by a corporate sponsor of the games or related activities, hundreds of Guyanese have invested in a cheap flag or poster as a symbol of their support.
The people have come out to support every major cleanup campaign pushed by various agencies from the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown to the Ministry of Health.
CWC 2007 is here at last.