TT lone bidders for ‘Yellow Package’

TRINIDAD and Tobago are the lone bidders for the “Yellow Package”. This according to a source close to the Trinidad and Tobago government. And it was hinted, Trinidad and Tobago will get the opening ceremony at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, as well as six preliminary matches involving the West Indies group and one semi-final. According to the source: “As it stands now Trinidad and Tobago are the only country to have sent in a bid for the ‘Yellow Package’ and as such we will definitely get our desired matches.

“All we have to do now is to put measures in place to host these matches and work assiduously towards making this event the best ever. We have the capabilities in Trinidad and Tobago and we are definitely going to pull this through.” The source further explained the thinking behind the whole idea of staging the West Indies matches in Trinidad and Tobago is that six matches can be played in front a full capacity crowd of 40,000 - which will lead to a healthy return to the coffers of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The Oval is expected to increase in capacity from the current 35,000 to 40,000 in time for the World Cup. The old pavilion will be extended forward and the Stollmeyer and Dos Santos Stands are to be updated to hold more patrons. Yesterday the Venue Assessment Team (VAT) toured the Oval and stadium facilities and from all indications,  they were impressed with what they saw. The VAT team also held meetings with the Police, Customs and other stakeholders. Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC) officials also met with the VAT team, and they were briefed on what is expected from the local authorities.