ALTHOUGH looking forward to the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, Jamaica’s legendary sprint star Usain Bolt says it is “disappointing” the island won’t be hosting any games next month.

The eight-time Olympic champion is an ambassador of the June 1-29 tournament which will be held in the Caribbean and the United States. Bolt joined compatriots two-time World Cup winner Chris Gayle as well as music icon Sean Paul, who recorded the official song for the tournament.

Jamaica will also have contributions on the pitch through West Indies Captain Rovman Powell, along with star all-rounder Andre Russell and batsman Brandon King.

However, Jamaicans will have to travel across the region if they are to see their countrymen as matches will be held in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Most will also require an American visa to attend matches in New York, Florida and Texas.

The Jamaican Government turned down the opportunity to bid to host matches at Sabina Park, with Sport Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange saying it wasn’t worth it financially after a “robust cost-benefit analysis”.

“As a responsible minister I am obliged to look beyond immediate gratification to sustainable sport development that will yield immeasurable rewards at all levels in Jamaica. I had to pay attention to the cost-benefit analysis, especially in a circumstance of limited resources,” she said last September.

However, speaking with the Jamaica Observer days ago, Bolt believes the Jamaican atmosphere would have added another element to the World Cup.

“It’s always disappointing because I think when you go to Sabina Park it’s always wonderful, and Red Stripe always [had] that mound that’s always exciting. It’s disappointing but it’s just one of those things,” he said.

“We can’t focus on that; we just have to go out there and support our West Indian team. Wherever they are, we can try to go see a game and try to cheer them on.”

The West Indies are one of the most successful teams in the shortest format, with World Cup wins in 2012 and 2016, England being the only other country to have won the title more than once.

Despite being a host nation and multiple winners, the sixth-ranked Caribbean men might not be as feared by some opponents as they have been in the past. Their last two appearances at the tournament were well below expectations. In 2021 they registered just one win from their five matches in the Super 12 round, then in 2022 they failed to make it out of the group which featured relative minnows Zimbabwe, Ireland and Scotland.

But Bolt, who will be attending matches across the region, is confident they can make a splash this time around.

“I feel like when it comes to the T20 and One-Day [Internationals] I think we as a team we do extremely well, so we’re all very high. We’ve won it already, and I think we can do it again if we just continue on the same path and we show up when it matters,” he said.

The West Indies are in Group C with 2021 finalists New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, with only two advancing to the knockout round.

Those games will be played at Providence Stadium in Guyana, Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, and Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.