The ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 Bill was proposed by Attorney General (AG) Reginald Armour, SC, in the Senate on Tuesday to ensure that the tournament is run efficiently.
Acknowledging that over two billion people will be consuming this tournament virtually, the AG is adamant that things flow smoothly when the tournament begins on the grass in the West Indies and the USA from June 1 to 29.
“We have been coordinating around the clock to meet certain deadlines that were agreed upon by the Caricom host countries and the ICC to manage what is undoubtedly an event of great magnitude and huge viewership.”
In the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Guyana will all host matches.
The AG assured that national and Caricom-wide inter-ministerial meetings have been held with attorneys general, ministers of legal affairs, national security, law enforcement heads, and chiefs of immigration from all host countries to successfully facilitate the hosting of the showcase event.
“These coordination efforts include many long days and nights by key local, regional, and international officials who have been trying to meet the short deadlines,” AG Armour said.
However, United National Congress Senator Anil Roberts had a different outlook on the fixture allocation, as he believes T&T got the short end of the stick in relation to its regional neighbours. While in agreement that the World Cup will be viewed by over two billion people worldwide, Roberts remains sceptical over how many viewers will tune into the matches hosted locally.
“They will certainly not be watching Afghanistan play Papua New Guinea in the Brian Lara Stadium,” Roberts said during his contribution in the Senate on Tuesday evening.
Roberts, who thanked Armour for apologising for the lateness of the documents to pass this bill, is concerned that a bill similar to 2007 is being used as a guide given previous cultural
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Amery Browne disagreed with that notion, reminding the public that T&T has long held the reputation of being an excellent host and convener of regional and international events.
“This country has distinguished itself and it should give us optimism. We have hosted major events both regionally and internationally. About cricket, we have hosted major matches, events, and tournaments in this country. So where is all this negativity coming from?”
Independent Senator Sunity Maharaj noted that the recent Caricom Cricket Conference highlighted key governance issues in the local cricket sphere and encouraged the Government to find ways to ensure proper conduct.
“The time has come to really look at the legislative framework on which these bodies operate and to ensure that entities that receive State public funds comply with accountability standards, transparency standards, and democracy standards,” Maharaj said.
Senator Maharaj suggested Trinidad and Tobago look into a ‘Major Events Bill’ to avoid a case-by-case application when events of such stature reoccur.
From June 12–14, Trinidad and Tobago will host the West Indies versus New Zealand, Afghanistan versus Papua New Guinea and New Zealand versus Uganda, New Zealand versus Papua New Guinea on June 17, and Semi-final Two on June 27 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The Queen’s Park Oval, Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine, and Diego Martin Sporting Complex will be used for practice matches.