…As he discusses National Stadium upgrades for World Cup
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday revealed the Groups and fixtures for the Men’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA in June; with Guyana being scheduled to host 5 Group matches and the first semifinal.
Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr. has described the development as a major accomplishment for the country.
“First of all, it’s a big accomplishment for us to host the Cricket World Cup once again. The last time we would have hosted this was 2007, at this level. We would’ve hosted World Cups at different leagues: like Women’s World Cup, Under-19 World Cup etcetera; but actual World Cup, this is the first time I think we would’ve hosted it since then. I think it’s a big deal to have World Cup back in the country, but it’s also that we’re having semifinals too, which is also a major accomplishment for us,” the Sport Minister elatedly shared.
He added, “So, we’re pretty pleased where that’s concerned, to have our bid succeed.”
Responding to inquiries about the upgrades that are being made to the National Stadium at Providence in anticipation of the World Cup, the Minister touched on some of the key projects at the moment. Ramson Jr. explained as follows.
The National Stadium at Providence is undergoing upgrade in order to host 6 matches of the upcoming T20 World Cup
“We’re advancing the preparation for that by commencing the work; it’s already commenced. There’re so many different projects that are happening at the same time. We’re actually modernizing the locker rooms, the dressing rooms, so that it reflects a real modern type of look and feel, and it’s in keeping with the overall requirements too.
“And then we have the practice facilities. We had done quite a bit of work in preparation for the World Cup for the Under-19s. So, that actually helped us, but there’s still quite a bit of things to do to make it ready for more senior stuff. So, we’re also going to have to make some investments there too.”
Ramson Jr. went on to assure that there is enough time to complete the works, some of which have been recommended by the ICC and CWI after inspections of the venue.
“We’ve got time. I’m not worried about the time on the modernization work, because those are small projects, projects that will only take a few weeks to complete. But in relation to whether we’ve completed all of the projects, there’s still a number of projects that will commence now too, coming out of this year’s budget, but they’re starting now,” Ramson assured.
On the matter of what the investment into the upgrades would cost, the Minister did not have a ballpark figure, but assured that it would pay dividends in future.
“I can’t give any kind of ballpark idea of what that investment would look like, but it’s an investment that is not just for World Cup. And that’s one of the things that’s important, both for me, as well as the country, that they know it’s not just for this specific event.”
Referencing the proposed heavy investment Barbados would make in their World Cup preparations, Ramson Jr. explained, “The investment that we made in 2007, let’s say it’s about 16-20 million back then. Think about all we would’ve done and hosted at National Stadium since then. That would’ve paid its return multiple fold.”
The Sport Minister added, “I’ve never been dissatisfied with the investment that we’ve made at the National Stadium. Obviously, you know the modernization part of it is expensive.”
The Men’s T20 World Cup would be played from June 1st to 29th in the Caribbean and USA. In addition to the first semifinal on June 26, Guyana will host five group matches from June 2nd to 8th, two of which will feature the West Indies.
The World Cup bowls off on June 1st in the USA, and concludes with the grand finale at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
