Chief organiser Daren Powell says “everything is on track” for Sunday’s staging of a Twenty20 (T20) cricket festival, featuring former West Indies batting greats Brian Lara and Chris Gayle at Treasure Beach Sports Park in south St Elizabeth.

“The players are excited to come in… and the hoteliers have been ready for more than a month now. The fans are interested and the tickets are going faster now,” the former West Indies pace bowler told the Jamaica Observer.

“Everything is on track. It’s a good look for this weekend,” Powell said, adding that pitch and field preparations have been in high gear.

The 44-year-old Jamaican, who captured 85 Test wickets in 37 matches for the West Indies between 2002 and 2009, is organising the festival with the support of Treasure Beach community leaders and hoteliers.

He said there will be a “party stand” and other attractions at the venue which promises off-the-field entertainment for fans.

Powell said the idea of the festival stemmed from casual discussion among former West Indies players while they were participating in the Road Safety cricket league in India last year.

On Sunday, Lara and Gayle are set to captain opposing teams comprising leading former West Indies and Jamaica cricketers in the feature game of the festival scheduled to start 1:00 pm.

Outside of the Trinidadian Lara, Powell said overseas-based players including Dave Mohammed, Devendra Bishoo, Sulieman Benn, Kirk Edwards and Dwayne Smith are set to feature.

The Jamaican cast will comprise Powell, Nehemiah Perry, Delroy Morgan, Wavell Hinds, Andrew Richardson, Nikita Miller and Krishmar Santokie among others.

The Lara XI versus Gayle XI contest is to be preceded by a clash between a St Elizabeth team and a Manchester outfit which is set to begin 9:00 am.

“We’re looking forward to a good day of cricket. It’s a nice opportunity for people to come out and bless their eyes on the legend [Lara] again. And Chris Gayle is very much loved, especially in this part of Jamaica, the love is tremendous. Gayle is a big factor in this and the people are looking forward to both of them showcasing their talent,” Powell said.

“There’s no better place for them to be than where people love cricket. St Elizabeth and cricket are like football in Brazil — people love it,” he noted.

Lara, 53, retired from international cricket in 2007, before the T20 format became dominant globally. However, the Trinidadian is regarded among the sport’s finest ever batsmen, scoring 11,953 runs at an average of 52.88 in 131 Tests between 1990 and 2006.

His Test match top score of 400 not out is a world record, and his first-class best of 501 not out is also unmatched globally.

Gayle, 43, is regarded one of the best batsmen to have played T20 cricket, dominating bowlers in multiple T20 competitions around the world, not least the Indian Premier League (IPL). In T20 international cricket he won World Cup titles with West Indies in 2012 and 2016.

Before his Test career ended in 2014, Gayle, who made his debut in 2000, scored 7,214 runs at 42.18. The Jamaican notched 15 centuries, including a highest score of 333.

— Sanjay Myers