Still in love – Windies fans support CT20

The positive response of Caribbean cricket fans to the recently-concluded Caribbean Twenty20 tournament demonstrated that, in spite of the disappointments of recent years in the senior team, cricket-lovers in the region have not lost their passion for the game.{{more}} The support of home fans in the Antigua and Barbados venues was matched by that of travelling fans, taking advantage of special travel and accommodation packages, especially during the final stages at Kensington Oval.

If the love of the game is the most basic ingredient, Caribbean countries are rapidly developing their own brand of entertainment around the T20 which now attracts a much wider audience than hard-core cricket fans. The spectacle spawns a range of entertainment and can well prove to be a huge tourism asset for Caribbean nations. Played largely after the usual working hours, the T20 provided both sport and recreation to a variety of fans, and if carefully nurtured, will be a big factor in family entertainment in the region. The natural attractions of the Caribbean – the climate, beautiful natural environment, music and food merely add to this as added advantages and provide rewarding use for the lovely, but underutilised stadia around the region built for the 2007 World Cup. Lighting those grounds not yet properly lit must now be very much on the cards.

For fans in the Windward Islands, the overall success of the tournament and the generally encouraging performance of their team was somewhat tempered by the frustration encountered in the two final matches. After reaching the semi-finals, ahead of reigning champions Guyana, the Windwards lost both semi-final and third-place matches by single-digit margins. So near and yet so far! But with the experience gained and cooler heads kept, who says they cannot go all the way next time around? T20 may well turn out to be the Windwards’ gateway to regional victory.

The youthfulness of most of the teams, as is only expected in such a frenetic game, was also a huge plus, particularly in sharpening the fielding. All may not be lost to the region as many thought, perhaps it is in this form that the Caribbean renaissance on the world stage will come. The widening of participation by inviting the champion teams from England, brought both an international flavour as well as a travelling tourism fan base, and this is bound to be repeated, maybe even extended to other countries. We may well be on to a sporting winner. So let’s hope that between the Windies Cricket Board and the Players Association, we don’t screw it up.

Caribbean people are “STILL IN LOVE” with their game!