Tony Becca
DURING THE previous Cricket World Cup in South Africa, the West Indies, hosts of the next World Cup, held a reception in Johannesburg. At the function, Chris Dehring, the chief executive officer of ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007, promised that it would be the best ever, and ever since he has been repeating that promise almost every time he gets the opportunity to do so.
According to Dehring, his promise was based, not so much on the cricket to be played, but more so on the fact that the region is one of, if not the most beautiful places on earth, that the people are among the most friendly and most hospitable in the world, and that it would be a wonderful opportunity for cricket fans around the world to kill two birds with one stone. They could enjoy the beauty and watch cricket at its most exciting. He said people would flock to the region in their tens of thousands, and that the people, through their culture, through their music and other forms of entertainment, would make it an experience to remember.
TICKETS ON SALE
On Monday last, tickets to Cricket World Cup 2007, 800,000 of them, went on sale around the world. According to the organisers, it got off with a bang with fans around the world, from almost every corner of the world, booking their seats to the showpiece of cricket, and that is good.
As far as attendance is concerned, if the early response is any indication of things to come, World Cup 2007 seems destined to be, if not the best ever, certainly one of the best ever.
Dehring's promise, however, was based on more than packed stadiums across the West Indies, and it was based on more than the beauty of the islands and Guyana.
Dehring's promise was based on the friendliness and the hospitality of the people, on the music and the entertainment and hopefully, as expected, the people, as the hosts, will deliver not only so that the visitors will enjoy themselves during their stay, but also that they will come again and encourage their friends, those who missed the experience, the atmosphere of cricket in the West Indies, the hospitality and the fun, to come and enjoy it in years to come.
REVENUE
As far as the governments in the region are concerned, that is important to them. After spending so much money to improve the facilities so that the fans will be comfortable, the revenue from the host of visitors expected for the World Cup, the revenue from repeat visitors, and the revenue from those who will be exposed to the region because of television and who, hopefully, will visit one day, will certainly make them happy.
The World Cup, however, is all about cricket and apart from packed stadiums and memorable entertainment, for it to be the best ever, Cricket World Cup 2007 will have to produce some good and exciting cricket. In fact, for it to be the best ever, the West Indies will have to play well.
Happy people make happy hosts, unhappy people make unhappy and disgruntled hosts. The people will be far from happy and more likely unhappy and disgruntled if the West Indies do not perform beyond the ordinary, and if the West Indies want the next World Cup to really be the best ever, they had better perform beyond the ordinary.
In other words, as important as the people are to the success of the World Cup, it is up to the West Indies team to make it the best ever.
