Vaccination status will be waived for Under-19 cricketers set to fly into T&T in January for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup. However, all other visitors including administartors and officials will have to be fully vaccinated.
This was revealed a press conference hosted by the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT), the Ministry of Sports and Community Development, ICC and Cricket West Indies (CWI) at President’s Box at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
One of the requirements by CWI is that all coming to the tournament be fully vaccinated but exceptions will be made for the players according to tournament director Fawwaz Baksh.
“We have a requirement that is CWI, that everyone coming to the tournament me be 100 per cent, there is an exception for players and we recognise they are under 18 and the vaccines may not be available in all the countries they are coming from so we asked governments to make special considerations but for every other staff and officials must be fully vaccinated.”
Douglas Camacho, chairman of the local organising committee for the ICC U-19 World Cup was precise in his address on the way they are to move forward to host a successful and safe tournament.
“Structured discipline is going to have to be in place we are looking literally at less than two months s down the road so I say that all here will understand the challenges we face and that responsiveness that is required and that each person plays their part,” said Comacho and on the upcoming youth World Cup.
“It will provide us with the impetus and hopefully, regardless of the numbers that may or may not be able to attend in person, the young men and young ladies can use this as a vehicle to kick-start and re-energise their interest in the sport.”
The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando, the famous Queen’s Park Cricket Club and the Diego Martin Sporting Complex are the venues in T&T that will host matches.
The 48-match itinerary, announced recently by ICC, sees 2016 champions West Indies in the curtain-raiser on January 14 at the Guyana National Stadium – one of ten host venues across four countries for the tournament which runs until February 5. The Caribbean team will clash against three-time champions Australia, after being installed in a group alongside Sri Lanka and Scotland.
T&T will host the most matches of the four territories, with 22 out of a total of 48 games being played across three venues in the twin-island republic.
ICC representative Ben Leaver labelled the facilities as “world class, having completed inspection of all venues recently, saying: “For us it’s providing world class facilities and we have seen that in every single location we have visited during our time here. That the facilities are world class.
“One of the strategic goals from an ICC perspective, when we’re hosting a U-19s, is to give these players every opportunity to experience and to build a platform and then go on to bigger and better things.”
He went to make reference to T&T’s Jayden Seales being on the “Team of the Tournament” at the ICC youth tournament two years ago and is now playing at the highest level.
“We’ve seen the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and T&T’s Jayden Seales go on to become quality international cricketers. And that’s where being able to bring an Under-19 event here to T&T, to give them the opportunities to play on iconic locations such as here in Queen’s Park and there in Brian Lara to play in those facilities,” said Leaver, adding that he is excited to see players experience the Caribbean feel and that it goes without saying “cricket in the Caribbean is unique”.
Sixteen teams will compete in four groups also spread across venues in T&T, Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts and Nevis.
Sixteen warm-up matches will be contested from January 9-12 in St Kitts and Nevis and Guyana, while Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua will host one semi-final on February 2, with the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, also in Antigua, staging the other semi-final on February 1 and the final four days later.
Reigning champions Bangladesh has been installed in Group A with England, Canada and the United Arab Emirates while traditional powerhouses India is alongside Ireland, South Africa and Uganda in Group B.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe comprise Group C.