Senior official praises region’s readiness for T20 World Cup
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Preparations for the eagerly anticipated ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup are on schedule as the region prepares to host the event in November.
Fawwaz Baksh, head of operations for the event, expressed satisfaction following a recent visit to all three venues by officials from the tournament secretariat, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI).
He was also full of praise for the governments and cricket boards of the three territories hosting matches for the November 9-24 marquee event.
“We had a series of visits and meetings in all three countries, and we are pleased with the way preparations are coming along,” Baksh said.
“We are just a few months away from the start of the tournament, and the excitement is building with the ‘Watch This’ campaign up and running and the giant bat visible on the streets.
“We looked closely at the match venues and the training venues and we are quite happy with the progress. We are confident that we will have excellent facilities for the tournament. We also examined the pitches and the outfields and a lot of work is being done. We expect high-scoring matches.”
He added: “Special thanks to the governments and the territorial boards for their work so far to make sure things are running smoothly. We have received great co-operation from everyone so far and we are moving steadily ahead to hosting the event in this region.”
This will be the first stand-alone Women’s World T20 and the first global cricket event in the region since 2010. Matches will be played at the Guyana National Stadium, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, and the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The tournament will feature the 10 best teams in the world, with defending champions West Indies headlining Group A along with Bangladesh, England, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
Losing finalists in 2016, Australia, will be joined by India, Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan in Group B.
The event kicks off at the Guyana National Stadium starting with India and New Zealand, while Australia and Pakistan contest the second match, with the Windies rounding off the day playing Bangladesh under lights.
Group matches will also be hosted in St Lucia, while Antigua will host both semi-finals on November 22 and the final on November 24.
