Tony Becca, ContributorTHE CRICKET World Cup has come and gone, and there are still those who are lamenting, not so much the hosting of it, but more so the fact that the governments of the region spent so much money preparing for it.
According to the detractors, too much money was spent preparing for the World Cup, and in a way, they are correct.
According to them, it was money that could have been better spent in the interest of the people of the region, and they are right. According to the them, the West Indians involved allowed the International Cricket Council (ICC) to dictate to them, and they are correct. And according to them, because of the dictates of the ICC, the West Indies World Cup was far from a West Indies World Cup, and this time, they are or were absolutely right.
As far as spending too much money is concerned, there is no question about it: the criticisms are more than deserved.
New stadium not necessary
In Jamaica, for example, while a lot of the money was spent on things like road repairs, on cleaning up and painting up, on planting trees and flowering plants, and on things like machines and ambulances for hospitals - things which were badly needed but which, but for the World Cup, would probably never ever have been acquired, the building of a new stadium was not necessary. And looking at the nice, practical, and comfortable stadiums in places like Grenada and Guyana, so too was the elaborate refurbishing of Sabina Park.
The two stands at Sabina Park, the George Headley to the southern end and the new one to the northern end, look good, and there can be no question about that.
When one looks at the capacity of each one, however, and then the cost, as magnificent as they may be, they seem out of place in a third world country like this one - and particularly so the towering five-storey masterpiece in the north.
On top of that, as luxurious as the new stand is and as impressive as the Headley Stand is, Sabina Park, as a unit, does not look as nice and as attractive as those, not so much in Barbados but more so in Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia and Antigua.
All things considered, however, I am happy that the West Indies hosted the World Cup.
Apart from the number of one-sided matches, apart from the performance of the West Indies team, and apart from the unfortunate death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer and the blunder by the umpires during the final, my only disappointment was the crowds that attended the matches and therefore the obvious loss of revenue from that area.
empty seats
Although I was not surprised, it was really disappointing to see the empty seats all around the region for most of the matches, and I place the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the ICC CWC West Indies 2007 committee, on the ICC, on the hotels around the region and a little on the governments of the region.
I place the blame on the shoulders of the ICC CWC WI 2007 for the simple reason that they were the ones who, based on previous World Cup tournaments and the average wage of West Indians, set the extraordinarily high price of admission and who, after winning the bid to host the event by promising the world cricket West Indian style, accepted almost all the restrictions set by the ICC. I place the blame on the ICC for the simple reason that they, based on my understanding, were the ones who, apart from the clamp down on food and liquor, ordered no musical instruments and therefore no jump-up in the stands.
I place the blame on the governments because, apart from the visa requirement, they were the ones who passed the Sunset Legislation which made so many things possible.
I place the blame on the hotels around the region because of a greed which saw them, a vast majority of them, doubling up and tripling their costs of accommodation for the World Cup.
The criticism is growing day after day, and especially so as many believe that based on the crowds at most of the matches, the governments will not make back their money, the people's money, not now, and more than likely not ever.
As far as I am concerned, however, it was worth it, and it was worth it for many reasons.
Apart from the fact that hospitals around the region, including here in Jamaica, are now better prepared to deal with the sick. Apart from the fact that the security around the region is now better, driving around the region, in every country in the region, but more so in Jamaica and in Guyana, I felt good, and I felt proud.
Money well spent
Right around the region, the roads were paved and the place looked clean and nice.
World Cup or no World Cup, but for that spent on some of the stadiums, it was money well spent, and more importantly, despite the need, it was money that probably, or more than likely, would not have been spent but for the World Cup.
It was also worth it because, based on the absence of any serious problems, it showed that the people of the Caribbean can organise world-class events. That they can work together in one accord, and apart from showcasing the region, the beauty, the hospitality and the warmth of the people to millions of people around the world, it underlined the fact that as a people, third world or not, we are courageous, we are talented and we are proud.
I was proud, I am still proud, and apart from the early exit of Pakistan and India - something which must have affected the attendance, apart from the poor performance of the home team which, apart from the high price of admission, also must have affected the attendance, my only regret is that we were not allowed to host our visitors properly.
That we were not allowed, until midway the show, to entertain our guests the way we wanted to, and because of that, we were not, in my humble opinion, able to deliver, as we had promised, the best World Cup ever.
It was nevertheless, still good. I will never ever forget the crowd, the scene and the atmosphere at the final in Kensington Oval and for that I would like to say thank you to two people who, among others, made it possible - to Pat Rousseau and his team back in the 1990s for the vision and the successful bid and to Chris Dehring and his team for their organising skills.
