FIRST Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger, at the request of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has accepted the role of Patron of the first-ever stand-alone Women’s World Twenty20 Tournament to be hosted from November 9 to 24, 2018.

The First Lady yesterday at her office, met with Tournament Director, Ms Jennifer Nero, and the Venue Manager Ms Sabrina Panday.

The ICC, in a letter to the First Lady, said that it is keen on using the tournament to promote the participation of women in sports for development in partnership along with Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the support at the country level.

The First Lady, a big fan of the game, said that she would be very happy to assist the ICC, through the Women’s World Cup, to achieve its objectives.

The ICC, in its letter, said it recognises her as an avid cricket fan and someone who continuously seeks to empower young people in making life decisions that positively impact their growth.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Ms Nero, who said that “the work the First Lady has been doing with women is absolutely awesome and that is exactly the type of legacy that we also want this tournament to be associated with, in terms of the development of youth and the development of women.”

This is the first time that the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Cricket will have its own tournament and not be in the shadow of the men’s league. Guyana will be joining St Lucia and Antigua & Barbuda as host countries.