Mar 21 2005
The decision of the International Cricket Council to hold the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies is yielding a significant boost to the economies of the Caribbean Islands. Barbados, where Ian Rollitt, CIOB Eastern Caribbean representative and now a member of the RICS Caribbean Group is located, has just announced a $90 million contract award for redevelopment of the island’s Kensington Oval stadium.
ECC, the building and civil engineering subsidiary of India’s largest construction corporation, Larsen & Toubro, has won this prestigious contract against strong competition from among others Carillion plc, Bovis Lend Lease and the China State Construction and Engineering Corporation. The location is important because it is in Barbados that the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup will be played.
The island is also set to host three of the biggest Super Eight matches during the World Cup. The full schedule of matches will be announced by the ICC in July but the spread of locations already agreed shows that the event will cover all the major cricketing venues in the Caribbean. The West Indies matches, the opening ceremony and opening match will be held in Jamaica which is providing the New Kingston headquarters for CWC West Indies Ltd., a subsidiary of the West Indies Cricket Board. The building has been refurbished by the Jamaican Government and leased to the West Indies Cricket Board at a nominal rent. England’s matches will be played at St. Lucia; India’s at Trinidad and Tobago; Australia’s at St. Kitts and Nevis; three Super Eights at Antigua and Barbuda; and in Grenada and Guyana. Jamaica and St. Lucia will be the semi-final locations.