Legendary West Indian batsman Sir Vivian Richards is backing the regional side to go all the way and claim a third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title at the upcoming tournament.
The Darren Sammy-coached and Rovman Powell-captained West Indies will square off against some of the world's best teams at the June 1-29 showpiece, which will be jointly hosted in the Caribbean and United States. West Indies won the 2012 and 2016 editions of the tournament.
Richards gave the team a rousing vote of confidence as he spoke during the ongoing global trophy tour, which touched down in his homeland Antigua earlier this week.
“It’s really exciting to see that one of the biggest sporting events on the global calendar will be coming to the West Indies and the USA and we will have matches right here in Antigua. For me, and my fellow Antiguans this is a tremendous event and we as absolutely delighted to host the world on our shores," Richards shared.“As I look ahead to the matches, I’m backing my West Indies team to deliver on the big day. We have a very good team, and they look united under Rovman Powell, so I’m throwing my full support behind my team. It would be great to win this ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on our home soil. We won twice before … those were way (in Sri Lanka in 2012 and India in 2016), so a third title would be great, and where better, than at home in front of our great West Indian fans to celebrate," he added.
Richards was joined by former Antigua and West Indies greats Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Richie Ricardson, and Sir Curtly Ambrose as they posed for photos and videos at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. During the session, they also offered words of encouragement to several young cricketers who were specially selected to attend the event and were delighted to meet their heroes.
The trophy tour made several other stops at iconic locations – Shirley Heights, Nelson Dockyard; and Heritage Quay, and the Antigua Recreation Ground in St John’s. It was also hosted by Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Minister of Sports Daryll Matthew. ICC and CWI thanked the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for their tremendous support in hosting the trophy tour events and the upcoming tournament.
West Indies have been drawn alongside Afghanistan, New Zealand, Uganda and Papua New Guinea in the opening round. They bowl off their title hunt against PNG on June 2, at the Guyana National Stadium, followed by a clash with newcomers Uganda at the same venue on June 8. From there they travel to Trinidad to face New Zealand at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on June 12. Their final preliminary contest will be against the Afghans on June 17 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda are in sync with initiatives that will benefit cricket stakeholders in the Caribbean.
On 25 October 2023, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Honorable Gaston Browne, held an audience with CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow at the Office of the Prime Minister in St John’s. Also in attendance were Honorable Daryll Matthew, Minister of Sports, Ricky Skerritt, Chairman of the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) Board and former CWI President, and Nelecia Yeates, CCG General Manager.
The meeting focused on Antigua and Barbuda's continued role in cricket development, particularly in grassroots cricket, infrastructure improvement, and hosting international cricket. In addition, an update of the master development plan for CCG was presented to the government officials, with both parties identifying opportunities for collaboration to transform the existing cricket facility into one of the best in the world.
CWI President, Dr. Shallow was upbeat about the partnership with the Antigua and Barbuda government. He said: “Prime Minister Browne and his Government have been valuable friends of West Indies cricket. In recent years, their cooperation in supporting CWI in the acquisition of Coolidge Cricket Ground as our home of cricket has been truly appreciated. It gives us great confidence to have them as a key partner as we embark on this next development phase.”
President Shallow also commented on his predecessor’s involvement as CCG Board’s Chairman. He remarked: “The appointment of Ricky Skerritt as Chairman of CCG augurs well for the continuation and further investment in the potential of CCG. No doubt, his wealth of experience and institutional knowledge offer tremendous value to completing this next phase of the CCG project.”
The CCG Board met on 24 October, 2023, at the CWI headquarters at Coolidge. The updated design for the facility, inclusive of a state-of-the-art training facility, was presented by the designers. In addition to cricket, a significant component of the new development comprises commercial establishments.
Prime Minister Browne was also pleased about the upcoming international fixtures for Antigua & Barbuda. In December, the first two matches of the impending CG United One-Day International Series between West Indies and England will be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The country was also named among the seven Caribbean host countries for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Antigua has been the headquarters of CWI (formerly West Indies Cricket Board of Control and West Indies Cricket Board) for nearly three decades.
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