Guyana’s leg of the 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 was unraveled on Friday during the official launching at the Umana Yana in Georgetown.
Attended by executives of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), local government officials and media operatives, the ceremony which saw the official ICC T20 bat being presented, made for a special prelude leading up to year end’s spectacle.
GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie during his brief moment at the podium said that it was certainly an honor to have such a prestigious competition gracing local shores. The GCB secretary made special mention of Minister George Norton whom all praises were directed to for ensuring the dream of making an event of such importance and magnitude, a reality.
Minister George Norton poses with the commemorative bat along with the ICC Women’s World T20 Trophy while other key stakeholders share the moment on Friday at the Umana Yana (Carl Croker photo)
He further said it was the Minister’s quick action and strong desires to help put Guyana further on the map; which was the catalyst behind Guyana’s success in hosting the event.
The highlight of the ceremony was given by West Indies’ lone female Director and ICC T20 Director Jennifer Nero, who delivered an empowering address to the nation. Nero said the entire event was special in many ways not only for Guyana but the two other hosts; Antigua and St Lucia.
She recognized the efforts of the local cricketing body, including the executives of the GCB and the Government of Guyana whom she showered with praises for ensuring that the country’s rich heritage continues with the first ever standalone international tourney.
Usually the West Indies ladies, the current defending World T20 champs would have been playing alongside the males during the campaign. Rather this year’s edition which will be Guyana’s third Cup will highlight the importance of women’s progression and success in cricket.
Nero added that the spectacle was “An Open invitation to Guyana” and hoped that it will widen the horizon with Guyana and the rest of the world. In closing, she hailed the three nations for meeting all the necessary requirements fit for hosting a World Cup and hoped that in return it will aid in their developments.
She said, discovering new champs for the West Indies, providing a legacy, engaging with the Windies fans, economic impact, worldwide media attention and the opportunity to host more international matches can all be extracted from being hosts of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Minister of Social Cohesion/Sport Norton during his brief remarks said the country itself exhibited high levels of competency in order to reach all the required mandates. He went on to say that Women’s cricket which saw its first international match being played on 1934 had certainly changed.
Norton added that while in the early 1900’s the stakes were barrels of ale and laced gloves, due to the women playing being maids, these days players stand to rake in millions of dollars annually.
He further confirmed that Guyana’s hosting of the Cup will feature warm up preliminaries which will run up to 8 days. Some 10 teams will play in 2 groups of 5. With warm up games set to bowl off from November 4, the Minister promised to work with CWI and GCB to make the event a success, adding that the move will further help Guyana embrace gender equality through cricket.
In a video clip, ICC Chief Executive Officer David Richardson said that is was good for the Windies women to have the honor of defending their cup on home soil in an event that will showcase the talent of each country.
He said women’s cricket itself was the perfect crossover of sport and entertainment mixed with dedication and determination. “I believe that T20 is one of the fastest and the competition will help supercharge the country’s growth in one of the greatest celebrations of women’s cricket,” he said.
Tournament Operations Manager Fawwaz Baksh in his vote of thanks, credited the hard work of all the entities involved, saying “It takes a tremendous effort to make this a success” and further extended wishes to the government and the ICC for putting Guyana on the map.
The next stop will be St Lucia on Tuesday, February 20 and the three-country tour will end in Antigua and Barbuda on Friday, February 23.
