Wicked cricket.

• Author: Clark, Fiona
• Position: !Ojo! - International Cricket Council

FOR SIX WEEKS the Caribbean countries have had the opportunity to show the world they are capable of hosting a world class event. From March 11 to April 28 members of 16 nations participating in the International Cricket Council (ICC) and thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries gathered in the Caribbean to celebrate the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. Cricket World Cup (CWC) is the third largest sporting event on the planet--only the Olympic Games and soccer's World Cup rival it in size. The tournament attracted great attention from the international community, which was also involved in many stages of the preparations.

Cricket has always been important in the life of Caribbean people, in the same way that soccer is for Brazilians or Argentines. The West Indies dominated the sport during the '80s and the '90s when the teams set an unprecedented record of victories against their old rival--England. However, the sport's popularity has declined in the last decade. Local organizers hope that hosting the championship will revive the love and passion of the region for the game and inspire younger fans.

All of the nine hosting nations--Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago--put a great deal of energy into preparations for the event, which saw the employment of more than 10,000 people. Millions of dollars were invested on infrastructure improvements, including the building of new stadiums, road and transport upgrades...