Chris Dehring, who spearheaded the region’s hosting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) 50-over World Cup in 2007, says organisers should guard against exorbitant expenditure and communication pitfalls for the 2024 Twenty20 (T20) global showpiece.

“By and large, the experience and lessons learned from hosting both CWC [Cricket World Cup] 2007 and T20 2010 include both protecting against overspending on physical facilities and communication errors,” he told the Jamaica Observer after Cricket West Indies (CWI) and United States Cricket were last month named joint hosts for the 2024 T20 tournament.

“The quality and availability of now highly experienced event managers and administrators coming out of hosting those events should mitigate most challenges,” the Jamaican entrepreneur said.

West Indies hosted its first-ever global ICC tournament in 2007 which was followed by its staging of the men’s and women’s T20 World Cup in 2010.

In 2018, the Caribbean welcomed the women’s T20 World Cup, and the region is scheduled to stage its first-ever Under-19 World Cup next month.

Dehring, who was chief executive officer for the 2007 50-over World Cup, said financial outlay should be targeted and guided by sound analysis to optimise revenue-earning potential.

“To avoid overspending, be very specific and empirical about the objectives of hosting and the desired results. Planning and execution need to be cohesive. For instance, if tourism is expected to be enhanced, any expenditure has got to be matched back with a specific tourism plan and expected results,” he said.

In underlining the hazards of clouded communication, Dehring said the 2007 World Cup’s list of prohibited and restricted items created a misconception which became virtually impossible to reverse.

“Communication needs to be simple and adapted to local customs and nuance. One example I recall was when we used the term ‘Prohibited and Restricted List’ to define what items could be brought into a stadium. For instance, guns are prohibited (banned), while ice coolers were restricted (based on size).

“The P & R List was standard terminology used at all major sporting events, but we had never hosted such an event in the region before, and the public, including local media, interpreted everything on the P & R list as ‘banned’. And the confusion which ensued was hard to contain and correct once it started. You still hear people talking about music and musical instruments being ‘banned’ for CWC 2007 which, of course, it wasn’t,” he explained.

The 2024 T20 World Cup is to be the first major ICC event staged in the United States, a country which has a huge market driven by millions of cricket-loving Asian migrants.

Dehring said he believes the US market heavily influenced the successful co-hostingbid.

“Undoubtedly, the potential of the US market would have contributed. Few realise that the US market constitutes a very large cricket market and fan base evidenced by the fact that it was [responsible for] the second largest TV rights and ticket sales in CWC 2007 staged in the Caribbean.

“The T20 version is ideal for continued growth of the product in the US. This is also strategic to aspirations of becoming an Olympic sport which is a stated aim of the ICC,” he said.

The former cricket executive said the board should position itself to benefit both financially and in terms of development. He explained that CWI should strategically use Jamaica, a popular tourist destination located in the northern Caribbean and with geographic proximity to the US, to its advantage in sharing hosting responsibilities.

“CWI can use this opportunity to build back a fan base for future tours and events. The significance of Jamaica cannot be over emphasised. With three million people, we represent half of the entire population of the English-speaking Caribbean which is its remit.

“That market [is waning] and interest continues to wane. This cannot be good for WI cricket and hosting the T20 WC between the US and Jamaica can start the process to address this issue. There is no product that shouldn’t prioritise its largest market,” Dehring told the Observer.

“Joint hosts share the burden of hosting while taking advantage of the scale and advantages each brings by way of potential fan base, etcetera.

“The disadvantage [faced by CWI] will be the challenge to ensure an equitable division of the blue riband events within the event, for example India matches, [and] the final, given the financial clout of the US.

“The importance financially of the US could give them significant leverage with the ICC in negotiating specific match hosting rights,” he said.