ICC ready for a festival of cricket in the Caribbean – Lorgat
THE ICC World Twenty20 will be a passionate celebration of the diversity, strength and skill that makes nation v nation cricket so appealing around the world, says ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, who called on fans to get behind their teams. With just 18 days to go before the first match takes place in Guyana on April 30, Lorgat says the event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the proud and illustrious history of cricket in the Caribbean while also embracing the new, vibrant and talented next generation of cricketers.
“The West Indies is one of the great cricket territories and is a significant part of our shared cricket identity,” said Lorgat.
“It is a unique place to visit, to play and to hold an event and we are looking forward to bringing the very best players in the world to Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts and Barbados for 17 days of world-class competition,” he said.
Lorgat was speaking in New Delhi, India, where the ICC World Twenty20 2010 trophy was put on show. In 2007 India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni thrilled the nation when he lifted it after beating Pakistan in the final of the inaugural event in South Africa.
“We have the best of the best in international cricket coming to the West Indies for two and a half weeks of riveting action in men’s and women’s cricket and fans would not want to miss out. I know that some of the matches are sold out already but there are still tickets available for other games. So be quick!” he said.
Supporters can still purchase the reasonably priced tickets through www.icc-cricket.com or usual outlets in the Caribbean.
A double-header featuring Sri Lanka and New Zealand as well as hosts West Indies taking on qualifier Ireland will set the tournament off and running in Guyana on April 30, with the final taking place in Barbados on May 16.
The women’s matches will take place in St Kitts with the semi-finals and final of that section of the event running as double-headers with the men’s equivalent as was the case in England last year.