Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Sports Minister Olivia Grange turned on the upgraded lighting system at Sabina Park on Monday evening.

The Government of Jamaica is investing $100 million in cricket over four years. In addition, $75 million has already been invested to upgrade the lighting infrastructure at Sabina Park to enable the hosting of both night cricket and football matches.

Of the $100 million investment, $40 million was made available in the last fiscal year, and those funds are being spent in collaboration with the Jamaica Cricket Association for various programs, with a focus on the primary schools and young cricketers.

Minister Grange boasts that the accomplishment is a result of a government committed to fulfilling its promises.

“So I would say that you know, as a government, we put our money where our mouth is. I’m happy to be the minister at this time and being able to spearhead the initiatives and to get the job done. Sabina Park is an iconic facility. It’s a heritage site, and it’s important that we upgrade,” said Grange.

She emphasised that while many may believe that heritage sites should remain the same, the government believe that it’s important to upgrade these facilities. “So the scoreboard, which was old and obsolete, we have now invested in and negotiated with the government of India to install new modern scoreboards, and we have also changed out the old lights to put in lights that will be at the lumens that are necessary for night cricket. So we can be very proud of what we have done so far. We put our money where our mouth is, and this is all about Jamaica. We choose Jamaica, and because we choose Jamaica, we put our money where our mouth is.”