Entry to watch cricket’s future stars in the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, starting on January 14, will be free, the tournament organisers said Friday (December 10).

The news accompanied the launch of the marketing-campaign launch for the global tournament, with the rallying tagline and jingle ‘Be There’ being rolled out across the host nations – Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago – and globally via social media and other digital platforms. 

However, in the wake of COVID-19, Cricket West Indies has stipulated that fans should visit www.u19cwc.com/tickets to get free tickets. This process will allow organisers to control the number of spectators attending. 

“While there will be free entry, fans must get their tickets prior to match day and adhere to the relevant protocols,” stressed Tournament Director Fawwaz Baksh.

“Regarding COVID-19, we will observe the national protocols when it comes to people attending large-scale events. If the Government and Ministry of Health officials say fans must be vaccinated, then so be it. If fans must have registered a negative test within a certain time period, before the match, then so be it. We are working with all four host governments to ensure a safe environment.”

CLARION CALL FOR WEST INDIANS

Meanwhile, Chalita Rose, regional marketing manager for the tournament, urged West Indians to heed the clarion call to ‘be there’ for the 16-team tournament, featuring 48 matches in 23 days.

Rose said the key elements of the marketing campaign are designed to attract “the Caribbean public, and the world, to watch and support the future stars of cricket”.

“Headlined by an infectious, West Indian-flavoured jingle by Voice – a young, popular soca artiste from Trinidad – the ‘Be There’ campaign has strong visuals. We are highlighting former West Indies under-19 players who have evolved into international stars,” he revealed.

“We have Alzarri Joseph from Antigua and Shimron Hetmyer from Guyana; both members of the West Indies victorious Under-19 World Cup team in 2016, with Hetmyer as captain. We also feature Jayden Seales from Trinidad who was in the Under-19 Team of the Tournament in 2020 and is now playing Test cricket. So, our campaign shows Under-19 cricket as the pathway to success.”