According to the release Hunte, speaking to the ICC WT20 WI 2010 Project Team at Kensington Oval in Barbados last Thursday, urged them to continue working diligently to present a thrilling and enjoyable cricketing showpiece for the WICB as well as for the region during the April 30th to May 16th spectacle.
“Many of the best cricketers in the world will be on show and we want to show the best of the Caribbean to the world,” Hunte was quoted as saying in the release.
In addition, the WICB chief noted a stellar ICC WT20 tournament could strengthen the West Indies’ quest to be a host venue when other ICC events are up for grabs.
Hunte, who also chairs the ICC WT20 WI 2010 Policy Committee, pledged the WICB’s support and stated that, as tournament host, the WICB has an intrinsic obligation to make sure the event is outstanding, the release added.
ICC Events Manager, Chris Tetley, hailed the Caribbean as the ideal backdrop for Twenty20 cricket given the blend of enjoyment, passion, excitement and energy synonymous with both the region and cricket’s newest and shortest format.
“I’m extremely excited about the potential for this tournament…it can be the best Twenty20 event the world has ever seen,” he declared, challenging organisers to give their best because there will be “no second chance” to get it right, the release quoted Tetley as saying.
“You don’t want to wake up the morning after and think ‘we could have done better’.”
During the two-day meeting in Barbados, which followed a week-long venue inspection tour, representatives from all four host nations (Barbados, Guyana, St. Kitts and Saint Lucia) detailed operational plans for various functional areas, including concessionaires, corporate hospitality, cricket operations, match-day logistics, media management, merchandising, safety & security, sportainment, traffic management, ticketing and volunteers. In the coming months, these plans will be fine-tuned in the build-up to the April 30th start of the third edition of the ICC World Twenty20 championship.
Reflecting on the past two weeks of activities, ICC Host Liaison, Vivienne Brown, noted important progress has been made and it’s now time to buckle down for the busy 80-odd days until the event begins.
“We have been delighted with the hospitality and collaboration shown to us during the final venue inspections. It has been a thoroughly productive few days with many issues being resolved, and a roadmap for the way forward being identified. We now look forward to working closely together as we approach the real business end of the planning and implementation process in order to put on the world-class event we all aspire to deliver,” she stated in the release.
