LOCALLY starved cricket fans certainly followed the International Cricket Council (ICC) slogan ‘Bring It’, when they took it to the Guyana National Stadium (GNS), during the three days of exciting and thrilling action in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 World Cup held here recently.
Whether it was the host team in action or not, the scene at the venue which hosted six first-round matches was fabulous, with the fans being involved in the action from the first ball to the last of every match.
Every boundary struck and wicket taken was cheered by those who packed the venue during the West Indies’ matches against Ireland and England while surprising to most, a near packed-to-capacity venue cheered the two matches on the final day, despite the rain interruptions.
Items, such as empty plastic bottles and the various noise-makers provided by the organising committees at the game, the sound of tassa and African drums along with the DJ providing musical entertainment during the breaks, could have been heard emanating from the venue.
Not since the West Indies played England in their two Digicel limited overs matches last year or even the West Indies versus Zimbabwe two limited overs matches earlier this year, has there been any international cricket at the GNS.
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, ICC Promotions and Corporate Services Officer Sabrina Panday expressed her heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the fans and various stakeholders who she felt played a great part in Guyana’s successful hosting of their leg of the tournament.
“Certainly, our fans definitely brought it to the Guyana National Stadium, over the three days of cricket. They brought the noise, the support and energy that flowed through the venue on the three days. We are happy and thankful for the support they brought to the game, despite the rain.
“I must say that we are happy for the support the fans brought to the game and while it is premature to say that we had a successful hosting, from all accounts coupled with the feedback we received, Guyana had a successful tournament,” said Panday.
She wasted no time in heaping praise on the various stakeholders who made it possible for Guyana to have such a successful hosting through the tremendous work they put in, including her staff, the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the volunteers and even the West Indies cricket team, as Guyana had an incident-free three days of exciting cricket.