Twenty20 is a huge hit in the West Indies. The grounds throw a nighttime party in the Caribbean Premier League and the stands are packed, unlike for Test cricket. But local schoolchildren will be bussed in for free to watch the morning and afternoon midweek matches to boost attendances. There is nothing wrong with that and ironically, given they set the schedules and cause the problem, it is broadcasters who want fans on seats and do not care if they have paid or not. Nothing looks worse than rows of empty bucket seats. “It is probably only the UK that can get big crowds in the morning for midweek games,” says Grave. “But in the Caribbean once you get a couple of thousand school kids and a couple of thousand fans in they can create a better atmosphere than most places around the world. Again it is great for our legacy if we can get 30,000 kids free across the tournament and we turn them into cricket fans.”
The main thing is ensuring the Indian broadcasters are happy which is the result of Disney Star paying $3.2 billion for a four-year deal to show ICC events. “We have to accept if you are going to host a T20 World Cup, and 90 per cent of revenue is coming from India, that it has to be India friendly,” adds Grave. “You have to acknowledge and accept it is not just skewed, it is a market fact – India bring in $3 billion of the rights, the rest combined about $200 million. But if you give us an option of hosting a men’s World Cup with half the games at 10.30am and half at night or not host one at all, we are going to take it.
“For the region as a whole you are looking at an economic impact of around $300 million. If we have a good World Cup we will boost $25 million in our coffers and hopefully we are setting ourselves up financially for some lean years. At least we are set up for that now. In the past we were using England and India tours to bail us out and then get back to par and struggle. Now we are going to be well ahead of the curve by the end of this year. The next two years will drain our resources but allow us to continue to make all the investments into our cricket system we need. Hopefully India comes back in 2027 and we’re back up to par again.”
Excitement will build once the cricket starts. West Indies are contenders to win and it always helps if the host team does well. They are fourth in the world T20 rankings and whitewashed England last year and South Africa.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
