Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport Olivia Grange says the Government has opted not to bid on hosting matches in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup set to take place next year.

Grange, in a statement on Saturday, September 23, said after consultations with the stakeholders it was decided to prioritise investing in the country’s local cricket after the Government committed to invest $100 million in the development of youth cricket and cricket in schools over the next five years.

“In our cost or benefit analysis with stakeholders, we also considered the economic, social and development impact, including the potential tourism-related impact and attendant industry benefits using year-over-year economic modelling, reconciled against current tourism performance. It was a robust exercise in which we considered different permutations including the option not to bid. At the end of our consultations with stakeholders, it was agreed that Jamaica should prioritise investing in developing cricket from the grassroots to the high performance levels over putting in a formal bid,”

SPORTS MINISTER OLIVIA GRANGE

In addition to investing in the development of local cricket, Grange said there are plans for the rehabilitation and development of Jamaica’s local cricket infrastructure.

The sports minister, in previous weeks, had signalled that the Government was considering hosting a few games ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which is estimated to cost J$450 million, including infrastructure upgrades to match and practice venues.

Jamaica’s Caribbean neighbours Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Trinidad and Tobago have opted to host matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.