Green Package on TT’s way

TRINIDAD and Tobago in a twist of fate may be handed the Green Package —  a group of Super Eight matches in the Cricket World Cup — as Grenada is struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ivan last year. It is understood that authorities in Grenada have been making discreet inquiries whether Trinidad and Tobago can pick up the slack and stage the “Green Package” of matches. Trinidad and Tobago were allocated the Brown Package involving matches in a group comprising India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda. Grenada was expecting to build over their stadium at Queen’s Park to hold 17,000 seats, in partnership with the People’s Republic of China, to host six Super Eight Matches

“The Minister of Sport and his team are very much aware of all that is going on with Grenada and you will not be surprised at the fact, that already the local arm of the World Cup Organising committee is under a lot of pressure from the government agencies to ensure everything is in place, when the official request is made,” a source at Cricket World Cup 2007 told Newsday. “There really is not much options for the ICC World Cup teams, with Barbados and Jamaica already having major packages assigned. Only Trinidad and Tobago would have the capacity given their financial situation and facility planning to be able to do this job before the deadline date of December 2006,” he added.

“Grenada is trying their best but it is very difficult, as it is not only the stadium that has to be in place, but they need to have all the infrastructure in place such as transportation and hotels, and this is another serious concern. The good news for the World Cup 2007 team is that Trinidad and Tobago will be ready,” he said. “The only question might be whether or not only the Queen’s Park Oval will be utilised or the soon to built Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba also,” he noted. “TT must guard against giving the impression that we are grabbing,” Prime Minister Patrick Manning disclosed at a post Cabinet news conference when the packages were allocated last year.

“Our improved prosperity in recent times and increased influence in the region have been a source of some discord. We have advanced ourselves as a candidate for headquarters of the FTAA and we have had the support of all CARICOM countries,” the PM stated. Manning seemed to suggest that TT did not want to compete against countries that were going to support their bid to host the HQ of the FTAA.  “The benefits that could accrue from these matches would be more needed in those countries than in TT,” he said. “Therefore, TT decided to defer, to make ourselves available to host whatever we are asked to host,” PM Manning said then.

“We made it clear that we have the facilities, a new stadium is being built in Union Park, in Bacolet in Tobago and all the facilities here are being upgraded. That puts TT in a position to host the most sophisticated games if called upon to do so,” he said. “We are prepared to take up what the other countries do not. Even so, the ICC itself and the World Cup Company may allocate any match and that could be a mandate. It is not unlikely that TT could be allocated a major match,” Manning said. In  July 2004, when the International Cricket Council announced the allocation of matches at a bid-drawing ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Hotel in Montego Bay, Barbados won the Black Package, giving them the final and Super Eight matches.

The Yellow Package, that offers the opening ceremony and opening match, one semi-final and six first-round matches for the West Indies team, went to Jamaica. St Lucia won the Blue Package and will host one semi-final and six first-round matches with the England team based in that island. The Red Package went to Antigua and Barbuda offering  Super Eight matches. Grenada got a Green Package involving one to six Super Eight matches, while another Green Package went to Guyana where two to six Super Eight matches will be played.

Trinidad and Tobago won the Brown Package for-six first-round matches, while St Kitts/Nevis was awarded the Orange package and will host six first-round matches with the defending champion Australia in that group. When Trinidad and Tobago was awarded the Brown Package, Sports Minister Roger Boynes said: “We are always ready if someone else is not able for any reason to fulfil their obligation, so we should not be overly concerned that we have got the Brown Package. We will ensure that everything is ready should a late call be made by another country to fill a void.” His words may yet prove prophetic.