-Minister Persaud, Everest President Nadir predicts bright future for cricket, sports

By Clifton Ross

IT was a momentous event last Wednesday, as the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB, along with government officials, cricketers and stakeholders finally switched on the lights to the newly upgraded La Bonne Intention (LBI) Community Centre Ground, thus lighting the way forward for sports with 2021 just around the corner.

The iconic moment came compliments of Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, who did the honours by activating the switch to lighting the venue, thus opening the newest chapter in Guyana’s history books of cricket.

President of the Everest Cricket Club and Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Manzoor Nadir was among the guest speakers along with the Minister present at the ceremony held a few nights ago.

Nadir was adamant that such a move was not highly beneficial for the country’s cricket arm; mainly due to the fact that now with the international standards of the LBI venue, most notably the lights, much can be done to create a more lucrative environment for players.

“I feel the future of cricket in Guyana is going to be competitive at many levels. I see attractive prizes, I see teams playing for 10, 20 million dollars and this is not a dream, this is the future for cricket.” Said Nadir.

Minister of Human Services, Dr. Persaud, during the feature address, was elated to see the continued progress of sports under the newly installed government, that has been relentless in placing heavy emphasis on ensuring that sports is equally recognized and catered for since coming into office.

The Minister believes that the venue will not only play a big role in ensuring the country’s top cricketers are comfortable, but also others outside of sports can also enjoy the benefits of this newly renovated ground, which is also the culmination point for the country’s annual Diwali Motorcade.

“With the progress that has been promised with the new government, I see this as the beginning of great things for the future of cricket and other sporting events, said Minister Persaud.

One of the key figures behind the rehabilitation of the venue, GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie, was extremely pleased to have finally seen the hard work paying off with the opening of what he believes will be the next venue to host first class cricket for the 2021 season.

Another important entity involved in the celebrations is the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which leased the land to the GCB for 99 years. When the LBI’s estate closed operations back in 2010, new CEO,  Sasenarine Singh, said the journey had been a tough one but thankfully they preserved to now enjoy a much brighter future with GuySuco promising to continue their support.

Meanwhile, Sanasie outlined a number of future plans, which include additional modifications set for the venue,  modernized Media Centre area, a practice facility with six all-weather pitches, with a hospitality box and seating for fans.