It was 00.12 GMT, when Sir Garfield Sobers came on the stage, and declared the World Cup officially OPEN. With fireworks in the sky, and all the teams on the ground, it was truly a colorful display of the true West Indian spirit of happiness at the Trelawny stadium in Montego bay, Jamaica !! That defined the Opening Ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007...
Sixteen teams, distributed in 4 groups, will play a total of 51 matches across the duration of the tournament, across nine different Caribbean nations. The final is expected to take place in Barbados on the 28th April, 2007. This is the first time that a World Cup is being staged in the islands, and every body - from the organizers to the fans are really happy about it ! Their excitement showed on Sunday evening, as they took part in the grand celebrations !!
Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said that the nine caribbean countries has shown they could "come together as a harmonious and committed unit". Music defined the evening, as reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and Shaggy entertained the crowds (You can check out the official song of the ICC Cricket World Cup in my next post).
After that beautiful start to the World Cup, all eyes are on the on-field action starting with the hosts taking on the mighty Pakistanis on Tuesday on this same ground... That should be SOME start to this tournament !!!
(Image courtesy : bbc.co.uk)
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