THE official song for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, Bring It
by a duet of Mr Vegas and Fay Ann Lyons, has been released and has already been given air time on Caribbean radio stations and dance halls. To many pop music lovers the sound might be disappointingly hip-hop until the song warms up about halfway through.
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And it is noticeable that soca queen Fay sings better than Mr Vegas, but the package should prove catchy enough when amplified at the cricket grounds in May. The ICC describe Bring It
as "contagious", which might be taking the effect a bit far. Nearer would be 'slightly catchy'.
The audio of Bring It
can be heard on www.iccevents.yahoo.com
Tickets for April 30 through to May 16 are all reasonably priced -- in fact dirt cheap by UK standards. They have been on sale since last October, and the ICC have reported a good take-up in the West Indies and from further afield for this popular global event, potentially the biggest contributor to the Caribbean economy for a long time unless the wounds of the last World Cup have not healed. It depends whether fans are prepared to forget the bad mistakes by the ICC in 2007 such as excessive restrictions on crowd behaviour and over-priced tickets that kept the locals away.
This time, everyone has been assured, will be different. The ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "We want this event to be a celebration of nation-versus-nation cricket with all the atmosphere, fun and excitement traditionally associated with the game in the West Indies. So, we are calling on the people of the Caribbean to ‘Bring It’."
"We invite you to bring your biggest voices. We invite you to bring your loudest noise makers. We invite you to bring your most outrageous costumes and facepaint. The world will be playing. The world will be watching. It’s time for Twenty20 international cricket, West Indies style."
First-time visitors to the West Indies might be shocked at the frequent lapses of grammar they hear, but they will enjoy the experience after a few rum punches. And an official message to "the cricket fans of the world" has been broadcast on the event website by the Bring It Posse, the tournament's cricket-loving gang and the nearest equivalent to the Barmy Army.
In case you haven't noticed, we enjoy our cricket a little different in the Caribbean. We live it. We breathe it. We Bring It for every match. With that in mind, consider this an invitation - an invitation from some of the craziest cricket fans in the world to you. We invite you to bring your biggest cheers. We invite you to bring your loudest noise makers. We invite you to bring your most outrageous costumes and facepaint.
You call yourself a cricket fan? Well this is your chance to Bring It, West Indies style. The world will be playing. The world will be watching. It's time to Bring It!
Sincerely, The Bring It Posse
Ticket prices range from three US dollars for ground entry at single group stage matches to five dollars for double-headers and eight dollars for entry to Super Eight matches. Prices for the semi-finals in St Lucia range from $10-20, and general admission to the men’s and women’s finals in Barbados on May 16 will cost $20 with a premium stand ticket available for only $40. Under-16s will gain entry free of charge for all group stage matches and significant discounts at all other fixtures. Admission to the women’s group matches in St Kitts is free to all.
Supporters from overseas can choose from a range of official tour operators signed up with service provider Cricket Logistics.
UK:
Gullivers Sports Travel, Howzat Travel, ITC Sports, The Cricket Tour Company, Sporting Getaways.
India:
Cutting Edge, Pyramid Travels, Tui India, SOTC Sports, Kuoni Travel, Cox & Kings.
Australia:
AST Sports, Cricket Australia, Sportsnet Holidays.
United States:
PKT Tours.
United Arab Emirates:
MMI Travel.
Ireland:
Sadlier Travel.
If the general public would like to organise travel packages to the ICC Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies, they can find all the information they need at www.cricketlogistics.com
Any parties interested in becoming an official tour operator are asked to contact Shirley Rattray of Cricket Logistics by email on shirley@cricketlogistics.com for an information pack.
Group A: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia
Group B: Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe
Group C: South Africa, India, Afghanistan
Group D: West Indies, England, Ireland
Match schedule, ticket prices: www.iccevents.yahoo.com
Information on tour parties: www.cricketlogistics.com
