The Windsor Park Stadium is getting ready to host New Zealand in an international cricket game scheduled for July. Officials of the Dominica Cricket Association (DCA) took the Minister of Sports Rosaline Paul and Chief Executive of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Johnny Graves, CWI Cricket Operations Manager Roland Holder, as well as Sports, Science, and Medicine Manager Oba Gulston on a tour of the facility to see its level of readiness for the games.
The Windsor Stadium was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 but renovation efforts have been ongoing to get the facility ready for local and international games. The CWI had raised EC$500,000 for the reconstruction of the stadium when the hurricane hit. The inspection team toured the length and breadth of the stadium facility and also inspected medical centres and even the new Kempinski Hotel to ensure that everything is on track for the hosting of the cricket games in July.
The visiting team expressed satisfaction with the level of readiness at the stadium, and Graves said it is necessary to inspect since the facility will also host future games with Australia in 2021 and another with Bangladesh in 2022.
“We will also be back in Dominica in 2021 with Australia and 2022 with Bangladesh so we have to ensure that all the logistics are ready and when we come, it will be a carnival-like atmosphere and a celebration to show the world how Dominica has recovered after the terrible effects of Hurricane Maria,” Graves said.
The Cricket West Indies chief executive also noted that with the hosting of the games, “millions and millions of cricket fans across the world [will know] that Dominica tourism is open, [and] that Dominica is open for business and investment.”
Manager of Windsor Park Sports Stadium, Garford Joseph, said the facility is ready to host New Zealand in July and that a new scoreboard has been purchased at the discounted price of EC$1 million and will have been installed before May. “There is no need to panic, we are doing the necessary work which is required and I am very confident that the games as scheduled will take place,” he stated.
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
