Stanford 20/20: cricket and culture

Stanford 20/20 cricket is the real deal. It is entertaining, energetic, colourful and all the action takes place in the space of a few hours. Not to mention, it is extremely profitable for the players involved and even for some spectators. Notably too, it is very Caribbean in nature. Such is the blend between cricket and carnival, two important aspects of Carib-bean culture, that it is no surprise that both cricket lovers and even non-cricket lovers seem to enjoy the game.

An important part of the Caribbean culture evident in the competition is reflected in the music. In the first tournament held in 2006, Beenie Man and Patrice Roberts rendered the popular “Let the Battle Begin” with the infectious chorus “20/20 Are u ready?” The song has now been named the official anthem of the competition. This year, Machel Montano and Claudette Peters delivered the theme song “Come Rise With Me”, which has become popular as it is enjoyable and quite catchy as well.

The success of this event is certainly no chance occurrence. Following on the heels of the sensational inaugural tournament, the competition this year has once again proved to be a huge hit. It is remarkable that almost anywhere you go, you hear people discussing 20/20 cricket. Some are arguing that Guyana will win again, others that the Jamaican team will triumph because of its all-round strength. Yet others feel it will be the winner of last night’s semi-final between Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados. Certainly, Stan-ford 20/20 cricket does create a buzz.

But not everyone sees Stanford 20/20 cricket as something positive. Of course there are those puritans of the game who prefer Test cricket and who view this new form of the game as a scourge and just a game of glorified slogging. Although, there may be some validity in this argument, 20/20 cricket is so much more fun than five-day cricket or even the 50 overs one-day internationals. Just ask those non-cricket fans who have suddenly become hooked on a game that they previously found to be extremely dull.

Other critics of the competition feel that the sponsor of the competition, the multi-billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, is exploiting the Caribbean people to achieve his own selfish goals. They feel that he is a bit too good to be true and that his lavish investments in the 20/20 competitions must be for some ulterior motive, which we will find out later. I heard one person seriously suggest that it was Stanford’s intention “to buy over de whole Caribbean” and that this tournament is “jus he bait”.

While this is certainly going over board it does lead to greater scrutiny of the man behind the competition. Admittedly, Allen Stanford is a very interesting individual and would no doubt be an excellent character to study should he appear in any literature text. He comes across as a philantropist who is doing his best to change the fortunes of West Indies Cricket. Actively involved in each match, he is always mingling with the crowd, and cheering on the various teams as they play. He also never misses a promo opportunity and is noticeably always keen to share the spotlight with someone else whether it is a specially invited guest or one of the artistes. He does sell his image as a warm, likeable man well; or perhaps too well as some may want to argue.

But Allen Stanford, whether you like him or not, has certainly transformed cricket in the Caribbean in a way that only somebody with tremendous wealth could have done. Apart from the large cash prizes he has made available, he has funded the construction of the state-of-the art stadium in Antigua, which at present surely must have the best cricketing facilities in the entire region, post Cricket World Cup and all.

The current Stanford 20/20 tournament has almost come to an end with tonight being the second semi-final match between Guyana and Jamaica, before tomorrow’s grand finale. It has proved to be a tournament filled with excitement and some good matches, but with no major surprises. Although, there was obvious talent in some of teams from the smaller territories, it was very clear that they lacked the necessary all-round strength and experience to be victorious. Therefore, it is no surprise that the four established cricket teams in the competition — Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago — each made it to the semi-finals.

So which one of them will rise this year? I really hope Guyana does so again but somehow my gut feeling tells me otherwise. Nevertheless, in spite of what happens: Long Live Stanford 20/20 cricket. Cheers! (alastair23@yahoo.com)