The venues for the finals and eight other matches of the T20 World Cup in June will be ready in time for the April 30 handover date, Noel Lynch, the chairman of the National Organising Committee said Friday.
Work on the “Mecca” – Kensington Oval – and the three other grounds, Windward Cricket Ground in St Philip, Weymouth, and the 3Ws Oval at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, are all on track, he said at a press conference at Cricket Legends where he gave a progress report of preparations for the June 1-29 tournament.
“As we speak, Kensington Oval is like 75 per cent complete – 70 to 75 per cent complete. Most of the stands – the Hewitt and Inniss, Hall and Griffith – they are almost 80 per cent complete as we speak today. The Greenidge and Haynes [stand] and the Players Pavilion, they are maybe in the region of 65 per cent complete.
“Kensington overall, in terms of the lighting towers and everything, I can say today, we are like 70 per cent. We’re almost there. In terms of the other facilities, Windward is like 70 per cent; the UWI Cave Hill is maybe in the region of 65 per cent; and the Police Ground [at Weymouth] is like 55 per cent. But we are 99 per cent sure that we’re going to deliver those facilities even before the deadline.”
The deadline for handover to the International Cricket Council (ICC) is April 30. Lynch explained, however, that a temporary facility to be built at the Oval might be delayed. That facility will house, according to him, the longest-ever cricket entertainment facility in the game and be able to accommodate an additional 5 000-plus spectators.
“The one facility that we might hand over on the 30th – might be between the 20th and the 30th – is a temporary facility at Kensington Oval because that was delayed. But you will see by April 15th, we should have Kensington Oval ready to be handed over, except for a couple of snags and whatever, to the ICC,” he said.
Lynch denied rumours that the T20 World Cup, considered a marquee event in cricket, was sold out. He said that of the 900 000 tickets being made available, only 200 000 have been sold so far.
“You can still buy tickets online,” he said. “But . . . in every territory in the Caribbean, we’re setting up a box office which is going to have between 300 and 500 tickets available for the manual box office . . . for those who are timed out, those who are aged out, those who are technologically out, the man [who doesn’t] have a smartphone, or [who doesn’t] have Wi-Fi, but watches cricket at Empire on Saturdays, or at Spartan or St Catherine . . . . He can come with his hundred dollars, walk up to the box office and buy a ticket. We are ensuring that that happens. So when you hear all this talk about people can’t get tickets . . . , no.”
Lynch underscored the affordability of tickets, citing the example of the Namibia-Oman match on June 2nd, which is priced at US$17 (BDS$34).
“The one match that is blocked thus far is the finals, because the ICC has huge global sponsors and we don’t know how the tickets are going to go for the final yet. The tickets for the final range from US$80 to $260 (BDS$160 to $520), depending on seating location.
“We are hosting Namibia, Oman, England, Scotland, and Australia here in Barbados for the duration of the Cup. Obviously, for the first round, if you get beat, you might leave. But the point is that the Namibia-Oman match, which is Sunday the 2nd of June, is US$17 to get into the match,” Lynch said, adding that every effort has been made to ensure Barbadians will have access.
“If you’re telling me that in a stadium that seats 18 000, that you can’t get 500 to 1 000 [Barbadians] in there, we’re going to make sure that these matches have Barbadians in there who have the wherewithal to be in, who have the desire to be in the stadium. They’re going to be in the stadium to see this match. That is our commitment.”
Barbados will host nine matches in the T20 World Cup, including the final on June 29.
(RG)
