From 30th November to 15th December, a delegation consisting of representatives from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) are conducting their second inspection of the confirmed World Cup host countries in the Caribbean and host cities in the USA which will be used for the ICC Men’s Twenty/20 Cricket World Cup in in June next year.
The inspection will be a comprehensive assessment of all the host countries and venues for both World Cup and warm-up matches.
The 21-member delegation has already visited Antigua and Barbuda and St Lucia, and yesterday completed their visit to St Vincent and the Grenadines which will be hosting two Group Matches and 2 Super-8 Matches. The Arnos Vale Sports Complex will host the 4 matches, with Arnos Vale 2 and the Sion Hill Playing Field to be used as Practice Venues.
Dominica has pulled out of hosting matches because they are unable to complete renovations and upgrade to Windsor Park in time for the Tournament, so last week’s visit to Dominica was cancelled.
The Delegation leaves here later this morning for their visit to Barbados.
A record 20 teams will be divided into four groups, with 55 matches being played in the Tournament.
Tournament Director, Fawwaz Baksh has said that the main goal of the assessment is to thoroughly review each host country and work alongside each one to assist them in delivering the best experience for the players and thousands of fans who are expected to attend the matches.
It is part of the overall vision to host the biggest Cricket Carnival the world has ever seen. and will help to reinforce the region’s status as a premier venue for the staging of world-class sports events.
The areas being assessed by the delegation include pitch and outfield preparations, practice facilities, players dressing rooms, broadcast and media facilities, IT and security capabilities, hotels and guest houses, areas for fan parks, and other key components that are fundamental to the successful staging of the ICC Men’s Twenty/20 Cricket World Cup.
Once the inspections and assessments are completed, the ICC will compile their findings and communicate any necessary recommendations to CWI and by extension the host countries and match venues.
The valuable feedback from these visits will be instrumental in guiding each country and venue on the necessary steps needed to be taken to deliver an exceptional experience for players, spectators and all other stakeholders throughout the duration of the tournament.
