By Rajiv Bisnauth

TICKET sales for the Guyana leg of the tri-series featuring Australia, South Africa and West Indies are likely to commence in a week’s time. This is according to Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Anand Sanasie. The 10-match event will take place over a three-week period from June 6 to June 26, with Guyana scheduled to host the first three One Day Internationals (ODIs), at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence
There South Africa will take on the West Indies on June 3. Australia battle West Indies on June 5 and South Africa will go up against Australia on June 7.
However, in an invited comment yesterday, Sanasie confirmed that the ticketing process is in its finalising stage, and as such, will go on sale shortly.
“Currently the WICB is using a new ticket company, the same company CPL is using, but ticket sales will commence in a week’s time,” Sanasie revealed.
Asked to comment on the prices, Sanasie indicated that the prices will not be much different from the last time Guyana hosted One Day International cricket.
The last international match in the country was played on July 16, 2013 when West Indies defeated Pakistan by 37 runs in an ODI.
Prior to that, there were 12 ODIs at the venue, which was built to host matches in the Cricket World Cup in 2007.
The national stadium has also hosted two Test matches (March 2008 and May 2011) and seven T20 Internationals, the last of which was in May 2010.
Guyana has not hosted more than two international teams at the same time since the ICC World Cup in 2007, but Sanasie, who is also a director on the WICB, further pointed out that all the logistics are currently been looked at.
Just recently a high level delegation from the GCB met with Minister responsible for Sport Nicolette Henry, Director of Sport Christopher Jones and Permanent Secretary Alfred King to discuss among other things availability and usage of the Guyana National Stadium, partnership between the GoG and the GCB, and security of the players and delegations throughout their stay in Guyana.
Minister Henry had indicated that the Government supports cricket and, in particular, the tri-series that coincides with Guyana’s Jubilee Independence year.
Meanwhile, the second leg tri-series will be held in St Kitts while the final four ODIs, including the final, will be held in Barbados.
Australia most recently toured West Indies in June last year, sweeping a two-match Test series to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy.
But their last limited overs matches in the Caribbean came in March 2012 when they played five ODIs and two T20Is, along with three Tests. The two sides split the ODI series – with two wins each and a tie in the third ODI at St Vincent and the T20 series as well.
South Africa demolished the hosts on their last tour of the West Indies in 2010, sweeping two T20Is and five ODIs before claiming the three-Test series with a 2-0 score line.
Their last encounter with South Africa came in Australia at the World Cup in February last year when AB de Villiers struck the fastest 150 in ODI history to pave the way for a 257-run South Africa win.