Croft feels CWC is Caribbean 's huge opportunity
- President Jagdeo visits Stadium at Providence
Kaieteur News
March 11, 2007
Former West Indies pacer Guyanese Colin Croft feels that ten years of bidding, planning and building have made way for about two months of frenetic cricketing activity but wonders what happens afterwards?
The tournament opens today in Jamaica with a grand ceremony. Croft stated in his article, “Nobody wants the new stadiums to become "White Elephants". The real legacy of CWC 2007 will be the absolute proper use that must be made of these venues, with a view to recovering some of the huge financial investment.
The Caribbean hopes that we do not become another Montreal . After that city hosted the 1976 Olympics, the debts were so high that they might still be paying them off to this day,” Croft who celebrates his 54th birthday on Thursday pointed out.
When the West Indies were awarded the World Cup 10 years ago, it was envisaged the West Indies Cricket Board would probably make a profit of approximately US$100 million (£52m). That would have been quite acceptable, considering that the England and Wales Cricket Board made about £90 million of profit after the 1999 World Cup.
In this case, the respective governments of the Caribbean have had to bear, very willingly it should be noted, the tremendous financial burden created by the tournament.
So much building - not just of stadiums but road networks, airport improvements - has dented the projected margin.
In Guyana , the country's head-of-state Bharrat Jagdeo, accompanied by Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Been and Technical Consultant of the Guyana National Cricket Stadium at Providence Walter Willis, visited the facility yesterday and checked remaining works for the completion of the environs of the venue.
According to a GINA report, the President, who played an integral role in Guyana acquiring a loan and grant from India to construct the US$25 million stadium, offered a few pointers to Willis regarding the ongoing works and informed that GT&T has already set up it's operations at the Stadium. The information Technology Centre should be up and running this week.
President Jagdeo was assured by Minister Benn that the construction of the four-lane road from the Demerara Harbour Bridge to the Stadium will be completed in time for the first Super-Eight game in Guyana on March 28.
Jagdeo is expected to re-visit the Stadium next week. He noted that the minor glitches observed during a ‘dry run' cricket match at the venue last month, must be corrected before the March 28 to April 9 Guyana leg of the competition commences. The Head-of-State also visited the Cacique International Hotel which is under construction.
The CARICOM Heads have invested plenty of time and money into preparations for CWC; stressing that a successful tournament could mean an economic boom for the nine host venues.
CWC Chief executive Chris Dehring, believes the West Indies cricketing fraternity will possibly make a profit of between US$10 and 20 million.
But Croft, who played 19 ODIs and 27 Tests during the glory days of West Indies cricket feels that the expected financial returns should not be the most important aspect in judging the CWC's success for the region.
“Sir Viv Richards and others are suggesting a successful tournament could bring back the heady days of the 1970s and 1980s, when West Indies cricket ruled the world,” Croft said. But for that sort of massive resurgence to occur, the present Brian Lara-led West Indies cricket team will not only have to play very well indeed, they will have to win the tournament outright. “Nothing else will do!” says the former speed ace.
There is bound to be some upward movement in the attitudes and endeavours of the younger West Indians after this competition, whatever the outcome. Many might want to become another Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, or Makhaya Ntini, a few of the players expected to have starring roles.
The Trinidad-based Croft says the interest, once re-kindled, must be continually stoked, with proper developmental programs, from the WICB. “Without these, West Indies cricket will return to the results of the very dismal recent past. The kids in the Caribbean , like everywhere else, are too impatient these days.
“As a former player and 1979 World Cup winner, I am extremely excited and honoured that the competition is in our back-yard,” Indeed, the last time that a West Indies cricket team won the World Cup, Croft took the last wicket to win the game; bowling Mike Hendrick for a duck.
The magnificent crowds at Lord's will live in lasting memory. That win started the most wonderful period for any sport in the Caribbean , perhaps the entire world. It propelled the West Indies cricket team to being Test and one-day champions for another 15 years.
“It's not impossible to dream of the same thing happening once again - and a successful World Cup, with a strong performance from the home side, could be the perfect catalyst” Croft feels.
Camera, lights, action, let the tournament begin.