The action in the Prime Ministers T20 Cup officially commenced in and around the beautiful capital city of Georgetown. The opening ceremony was a spectacle as Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips himself bowled off the first ball of the tournament at the MYO Ground, while urging the players to enjoy themselves as three days of riveting action begin.
In his feature address to all the teams present, the Prime Minister said, “We have female teams this year, so we have grown from just a tournament with male teams to having female teams, so I consider this a complete tournament now. Internationally in the world cricket is not an all-male sport, we have female teams participating in all levels of sport. So, it’s just natural that the Prime Minister T20 cup as it grows it will have female teams, so congratulation to the organizers. We also have more sponsors in the 6th edition as compared to the previous editions, so congratulations to the sponsors and thank you for believe in this tournament and participating in the growth of the tournament through your tremendous support over the years.”
Phillips further related that while this year the weather is challenging, it should be noted that it is also the year without COVID-19. He went on to explain that for the last two editions the pandemic affected the tournament as restrictions had to be followed, however, with those restrictions lifted he is optimistic that there will be a larger fanbase coming out to support the teams in the grand finale at the stadium.
“This year is the biggest tournament and the best team, like in any cricket tournament will emerge and win. Let’s, have a good tournament, we don’t want any controversy and as I would always say, the umpire’s decision is final. Congratulations to all of you here who are participating, I know there are teams here from overseas, welcome home and let’s have a good tournament and may the best team win,” Phillips shared.
There will be three male categories, and these are the Legends (Over-50), Masters (Over-40) and Open (All ages). Over two million dollars are up for grabs. The winning team in each category is set to collect $600,000 while the champion lady’s side would cart off $200,000.
Photos and Story by: Timothy Jaikarran
