T20 World Cup trophy tour reaches Trinidad and Tobago

THE Trinidad and Tobago leg of the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) men's Twenty/20 World Cup Trophy tour will be held on May 18, with key stops to be made at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba, the Queen's Park Oval in St Clair and the Buccoo Integrated Facility in Tobago.

The trophy tour in Trinidad will begin at the BLCA, with a cultural show and meet and greet with fans from 10 am to 1 pm. Members of past West Indies men's and women's T20 World Cup teams will be at the Tarouba venue to interact with fans and the trophy. Former West Indies men's players such as Samuel Badree, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul and Lendl Simmons are expected to be in attendance, along with former women's players like Stacy-Ann King, champion off-spinner Anisa Mohammed and former Windies captain Merissa Aguilleira.

Acting Minister of Sport and Community Development Randall Mitchell is scheduled to give a speech at the short ceremony.

Future cricket stars will also get the opportunity to soak in the ambience and get a firsthand view of the coveted trophy, as players from the Presentation College (San Fernando) and Barrackpore East Secondary teams – winners of the respective boys and girls' 2024 Secondary Schools Cricket League T20 titles – will be in attendance.

Soca artiste Erphaan Alves is also scheduled to perform at the BLCA.

From the BLCA, the trophy tour's next stop will be the Queen's Park Oval, where a mixture of past and current Windies players will be present for photo opportunities. Darren Bravo and West Indies wicket-keeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva, both Queen's Park Cricket Club mainstays, will be there, alongside Bryan Davis and former pacer Tony Gray.

The trophy tour will then proceed to Tobago, kickstarting with a cultural show at the ANR Robinson International Airport, Crown Point. The trophy tour will make a brief stop at the picturesque Pigeon Point Beach, before culminating with a cultural piece at the Buccoo Integrated Facility from 6 pm-8 pm.

Thus far, the trophy tour has gone to destinations such as Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, Miami and Manchester, with 2024 T20 World Cup ambassador Usain Bolt and West Indies greats from different eras getting the opportunity to put their hands on the precious silverware and weigh in on the Caribbean team's chances on home soil.

The T20 World Cup runs from June 1-29, with the BLCA set to host five tournament matches, to go along with four warm-up matches. The Queen's Park Oval will also host four warm-up matches.