After four years of nervous planning, billions of dollars in spending, controversy over the cost and dire predictions of disaster if preparations are not completed on time, the first warm-up match of the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 bowls off today in Jamaica.

The spanking new multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny on the island’s scenic north coast is host to the historic game which pits the West Indies against African minnows, Kenya.

Staging the World Cup, the world’s third largest international sporting competition, will represent a major test for Jamaica, which is hosting the tournament jointly with seven other Caribbean territories.

In its most massive mobilisation of personnel for a single event, Jamaica has put 3,000 men, women and children at the disposal of the International Cricket Council-sponsored event.

Last night, in a national broadcast, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who is in Europe on official business, implored Jamaicans to rise to the test and to impress the world with true Jamaican hospitality.

“Beautify the place with your presence. Show them the real Jamaican personality, warm, friendly, humorous, peaceful and gracious,” she said. “We will be rolling out the welcome mat to the 16 teams from the participating countries, officials and cricketing fans from around the world.

“Visitors and Jamaicans in the Diaspora have started to come in for the event. Sabina Park is ready, the multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny is ready,” said Simpson Miller.

Vowing that Jamaicans would impress the world with the quality of the arrangements for the World Cup, Simpson Miller, who is also the minister of sports, said over 1,000 volunteers had been trained and geared up for the event.

“The 1,100 rooms needed to accommodate teams, officials, media and sponsors are in place. Ninety-six JUTC drivers have been specially trained and are ready to transport patrons to and from the venues. A medical master plan is in place,” disclosed Simpson Miller.

“Security arrangements are tight. Some 730 security personnel have been specially trained for the event. There are comprehensive contingency plans designed to deal with any eventuality.

“Clean-up and beautification work is ongoing. A star-studded cast is getting ready to present a spectacular and impressive opening ceremony on March 11,” Simpson Miller said.

Robert Bryan, the man who heads the Local Organising Committee (LOC), boasted that as many as 2,045 cast members had been in preparation for months for the opening ceremony billed as “a Pan Caribbean-flavoured spectacle”. A total of 1,600 participants between ages 15 and early 20s will be featured in the ceremony.

With no security details being spared in the post-9/11 period, a Joint Operations Co-ordination Centre (JOCC) went into action on March 1, planning for any eventuality, the official Jamaica Information Service (JIS) said.

The JOCC headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington, is at the ready to mobilise agencies such as the police, military, fire brigade, traffic and intelligence to rise to any threat.

“If we should have a major situation, for example involving foreign nationals or anything impacting on the tournament, we will use a call-out format to get other relevant agencies into the fold to assist us in co-ordinating the response to those situations,” Ellington was quoted by the JIS as saying.

From one end of the island to the next, a packed social agenda has been planned. Notably, a ‘One Love’ Jamaica Village will be set up at the Cable and Wireless Golf Academy and the National Housing Trust car park in New Kingston from March 12 to 24, to provide occasion for visitors and locals to lyme on off-match days.

In her national broadcast, Simpson Miller, apparently trying to reach out to critics who questioned whether Jamaica would benefit from staging the event, emphasised that all the facilities put into place to stage the event would remain for the benefit of Jamaicans long after the competition had ended.

“Let us remember that long after the last ball is bowled, the facilities put in place will remain for the use and enjoyment of all Jamaicans,” she said.

In the same breath, however, Simpson Miller also urged all Jamaicans to be on their best behaviour for the duration of the tournament, pointing to the huge media attention the island would attract during the cricket festival, and the possible benefits to be derived.

“Visitors will see what our country has to offer. Furthermore 2.6 billion people from all over the world will have an opportunity to see us on their TV screens. What kind of image do we want to be portrayed around the world?

“Favourable and positive publicity can be very valuable in building goodwill, which can serve us well in the future. It is for this reason that I am calling on every single Jamaican to give full support as we proudly host the Cricket World Cup,” she said,

Simpson Miller also thanked the citizens for their patience and understanding during the construction and renovation phase of the preparations for CWC 2007, as well as the private volunteers who assisted in getting the island World Cup ready.

She saluted the major sponsors of the event, the CWC local organising committee and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) partners for their work in preparation for the contest.

Other teams on the north coast this week for the warm-up phase are India and the Netherlands who, like the Kenyans, are striving to build a reputation.

Next week, the West Indies will be joined by Pakistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe in Zone D for six first round games at the newly renovated Sabina Park. One semi-final game will be also be played on April 24 at Sabina Park.

The World Cup 2007 will climax with the final in Barbados on April 28.