Local NewsSports Money Well Spent Mottley maintains Government made right decision to invest in Kensington Oval by Barbados Today 27/03/2024 written by Barbados Today 27/03/2024 2 min read A+A- Reset Prime Minister Mia Mottley speaking at the unveiling of a statue of Sir Charles Griffith at Kensington Oval on Monday. (PMO) Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 1.1K Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley has again defended Government’s decision to borrow money to renovate Kensington Oval ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. Speaking during Monday’s unveiling of the statue of former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler Sir Charles Griffith at Kensington Oval, Mottley said the $50 million borrowed from the Afreximbank to improve the facilities at ‘The Mecca’ was warranted. “Maybe people question this Government’s You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians commitment to the refurbishing of the third most iconic cricket ground in the entire world, not in the region, not in the Americas, but on the planet Earth. “And for us as a people to have the legacy that we have in cricket, and to have this wonderful iconic ground available to us and not to take care of it, reminds me of lessons in the Bible that if I were to preach them and speak to them now, Sir Wes (Hall) would swear that I am following in his footsteps as a reverend,” the Prime Minister said. “Suffice to say that our commitment was not only and is not only to the refurbishment of the ground, but we have been very careful to commit ourselves to ensuring that the young Barbadian and West Indian cricketers can have access to the best technology… “This notion we must have raw talent and ignore the other aspects of our business and technology such that others then have a significant advantage on us cannot be tolerated because we know better and we must do better…” she added. Mottley said her focus was also on seeing the resurgence of West Indies cricket. She admitted that she was anxiously awaiting an upcoming meeting of CARICOM heads in Trinidad to discuss the various issues that are confronting regional cricket. “I look forward to that meeting because there is one other major factor that we must confront as a region. When we speak about the Bridgetown Initiative people think it is fundamentally about financing, but it is about financing in the context of being unequally yoked as small nations and small populations. “Little did we know that in spite of being world champions for decades, in spite of having the longest run, little did we know that we would now be handicapped by a set of global rules and power structures that deliberately disadvantage what we can earn such that the West Indies find it possible to have a proper Test series in Australia when we last was there,” Mottley said. She maintained that the West Indies needed to command a legitimate right at the table to create opportunities for its players in all formats of the sport. By David Harris Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Soca star Rupee’s ‘Tempted to Touch’ certified gold by RIAA 16/02/2025 A sweet serving of soca music at Holetown Festival 16/02/2025 Reparations exhibition opens 16/02/2025