Source : Trinidad Daily Express
Jamaica’s reluctance to make a bid to commit to hosting matches in the upcoming T20 World Cup should be a cause for concern for Cricket West Indies especially with the emergence of the USA which is establishing itself as a viable destination for games in the future.
The West Indies and the USA will co-host the T20 World Cup from June 1-29, with the Sates set to play host to 16 of the tournament’s 55 matches.
Former West Indies director Baldath Mahabir has warned that the Caribbean’s northern neighbours could possibly host an international event on their own in the future while former West Indies manager Omar Khan described the situation with Jamaica not hosting any matches in the World Cup as “definitely concerning”.
“Jamaica are a major part of CWI and I am sure fans would love to see cricket played at Sabina Park,” Khan told the Express yesterday. “CWI needs to sit with the government officials in Jamaica and have a face-to-face meeting to find out what can be done to safeguard the game.”
He continued: “They need to let them know that this is something they are concerned about because we don’t want to see cricket in Jamaica just go down the drain,” adding, “West Indies is a world-wide cricket brand and Jamaica is a big part of that brand and we have to safeguard that.”
Meanwhile, Mahabir said: “I don’t think that they don’t want to host matches, I think the consumer is telling them the story that we are not too interested in going cricket, especially the longer version.”
“They didn’t bid for this one probably because the investment to get the stadium up to the required standard of the ICC level could have been a bit exorbitant. But they have a good product when it comes to athletics, football and netball,” he noted.
“Yes, cricket has been on the decline in Jamaica for quite a while. The last time they won the four-day title was under Tamar Lambert when they won four or five titles, but what should be greater concern and just to tie it in to the World Cup, is the emergence of USA as a cricketing power,” Mahabir warned.
He said the easy travel, newer infrastructure in terms of stadiums and hotels, transport and support services will make the USA a viable destination for games. “I could see in the future, Canada and USA hosting a World Cup on their own without West Indies as they continue to build capacity in the sport,” Mahabir surmised.