T20 World Cup to help region earn $300 million: Cricket West Indies CEO

Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave revealed that multiple tours by India and England haven’t been able to revive the economy of the region and the cricket board in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.

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The T20 World Cup, which is the first ICC men’s event held in the Caribbean since 2010, is expected to change things. The extravaganza will add to the coffers of CWI which generates an annual revenue of $50 million.

Six venues across the West Indies are being used for the T20 World Cup. To stage the tournament, venues needed urgent renovation and that has been done at a cost of $50 million approximately, with half of them spent on the Kensington Oval in Barbados, where the final will be played.

“It’s been 14 years since we hosted our last men’s event. And it’s hugely important (that we get to host world events),” he said in an interview with PTI.

“… (building infrastructure) It’s a huge part of hosting a World Cup because the legacy of that means that the six grounds that are hosting or playing hosts for this World Cup will have facilities that we, Cricket West Indies and our home boards, can benefit from for hopefully the next decade,” he said

The West Indies are co-hosting the T20 showpiece with the USA and going forward, more world events will be jointly hosted and not just by the big three, as has been the case in the last decade.

“We made the point that we think there should be more equal revenue sharing of ICC distributions (India gets the lion share of that). And part of that equality was the spreading around the men’s events.

“Some of the bigger host countries could be making a hundred million US dollars from hosting a men’s events based on the revenues that they would keep.

“And therefore, it’s another way in which if you’re not spreading around those events, that the few nations that do host are benefiting more than others, as well as getting the on the field home advantage and playing in home conditions that they should know better and be able to adapt better.

“It’s an important part of the change of the next cycle, there’s going to be multiple teams hosting,” said Grave.

‘If West Indies win T20 World Cup, party will go on for months’

Greaves believes it will take a special effort from the home team to revitalise the game in the region.

“It’s (the pride of playing for West Indies) has always been there. It’s probably hasn’t been articulated as well by the players as it has been, but we’ve got very good relations with them.

“I can guarantee you, if the West Indies lift this trophy, a record third trophy in the T20, the party in the Caribbean will be going for many, many months afterwards,” added Grave.