SCORES flocked the Shell Gas Station on Water Street in New Amsterdam when the ICC World T20 ‘Bring it’ bus tour touched down in the ancient county yesterday.
The reception for the tour in Berbice was by far the biggest with the masters of ceremonies and local comedians Linden ‘Jumbie’ Jones and Kirk ‘Chow-Pow’ Jardine on several occasions having to use different means to stave off cricket-hungry fans. Several persons were able to win tickets for the third match day on Tuesday, May 4, and would be able to see New Zealand against Zimbabwe and England against Ireland since the other two playing days (April 30 and May 3) with matches involving West Indies are all sold out.
For the first time on the bus tour which started last week at the Stabroek Market Square, the ‘bring it’ noisemakers were introduced to the public with the International Cricket Council (ICC) keeping its promise to make the event one with true Caribbean flavour.
The bus tour will wrap up today. It makes its final stop at the Parika market and it was said that an even larger crowd is expected.
In four days, all eyes will be on Guyana when the event bowls off at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, where for the first time in the three-year history of the Twenty20 World Cup, day/night matches will be played.
The ICC unveiled the World Cup for the games shortest legal format in 2008 in South Africa with India taking the championship. The following year the event moved to England and it was Pakistan who came out on top and this time around the local pundits are riding on the Caribbean side to take home the bacon in front of their home fans.