World Cricket Cup Championships Kick Off In Jamaica

The West Indies, who were the first World Cricket Cup Champions over thirty years ago, have now welcomed the sporting event to their home turf. The stadium at Trelawny, which was built for warm-up matches and the opening ceremony, held over 2000 performers singers and dignitaries when the 16 teams competing in the event paraded on to the field.

“We promise a new dimension in cricket performance and entertainment," World Cup 2007 board member Valentine Banks said.

"This is the most ambitious event ever undertaken by the collective Caribbean." The organizers for the event have spent 4 years and over 400 million dollars on this extravagant sporting championship. The nine independent states from the West Indies will host 51 games involving 16 teams, including defending champions Australia.

Reggae singers Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs, as well as contemporary performers Sean Paul and Shaggy, entertained the crowd of around 10,000 and the members of the competing nations as they marched into the stadium.

Sir Garfield Sobers, the great West Indies all-rounder, declared the ninth World Cup open, and Chris Dehring, CEO of the event, said fans at the World Cup would see "the world's best cricketers competing against the backdrop of the most blessed place on earth."
The hosts West Indies will face Pakistan at Sabina Park in Kingston in the opening match. The final match will be played in Barbados on April 28.