India, West indies clash in Digicel home series

The Digicel 2006 Home Series, West Indies versus India, was launched on Wednesday in a press conference at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, Jamaica. The series began at Sabina Park on Thursday and will conclude again in Sabina Park on Tuesday, July 4, with the fourth Digicel Test series.

In attendance were executives of Digicel, captains and coaches of both the West Indies and India team as well as members of the West Indies and India media.{{more}}

Speaking at the event, David Hall, chief executive officer of Digicel Jamaica praised the West Indies team for the recent success in the series against Zimbabwe. According to Hall, “The Digicel 2006 Home Series has started off on a very positive note and the West Indies team and captain Brian Lara can depend on our full support in the quest to continue this winning run.

“The Zimbabwe leg of the series has shown that with unified structure in place underpinned by a retainer contract system, the positive environment is set for all stakeholders to concentrate on a common goal – success on the field. Our commitment to help return the team to former glory is as strong as ever and we will continue to support and celebrate through our fan- and player-based initiatives all that is good about the passion, energy and legacy of West Indies cricket,” he added.

To spur success on the field, Digicel has put in place a significant incentive-bonus package for the Windies to win the series. The Windies players have also been enjoying, so far in the series, Digicel rewards of Man of the Match, Man of the Series and winning team awards.

In his address, President of the Jamaica Cricket Association, Jackie Hendriks commended Digicel for initiating a steady programme of development for West Indies cricket. According to Hendriks, two years ago when Digicel decided to sponsor West Indies cricket, it was a welcome development. “And we are heartened to see that Digicel have made solid contributions to the development of cricket at several levels,” he said. Hendriks noted that Digicel’s contribution includes the historic sponsorship of the A team tours, the funding of the Harvard Cricket Club in Trinidad and hosting cricket clinics in the Eastern Caribbean.