One of the houses that was supposed to be replaced with new low-income units at Goodwin Park, near the Sabina Park cricket ground in Kingston. With just six months to go before Cricket World Cup 2007 starts, plans for the housing units have stalled. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Robert Bryan, the head of Jamaica's coordinating body for next year's Cricket World Cup, says he is dissatisfied with preparation in communities which will host matches and suggests that the Government has failed to articulate a vision of the country's potential benefits.

Jamaica will host the tournament's opening ceremony as well as warm-up matches in the new stadium being built in Rock, Trelawny, while Sabina Park in the capital Kingston will stage a number of first-round games, as well as one semi-final.

Government is spending US$105 million to build and upgrade grounds and to enhance infrastructure from the competition.

But Bryan, in answering readers' questions about the preparation efforts, declared himself "far from satisfied" with the efforts of towns such as Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Kingston, where matches will either be played or visitors will stay, in readying themselves.

No leadership

Moreover, he says, Jamaica has not agreed on what it expects to get from hosting the event.

"This vision needs to be developed and articulated to the country and I firmly believe that the central government has a clear lead responsibility in this regard," he said.

Bryan, who concedes the phase one sale for tickets for matches in Jamaica was disappointing, projects that around 12,000 visitors will come to the island, especially for the Cricket World Cup. He, however, argues that the potential benefits are far greater than this and are to be derived on the longer term from the global exposure Jamaica will receive and the opportunities for marketing and investment.

"Much more work needs to be done to get such a programme developed, agreed and understood by the citizens in order to entertain credible expectation of major proportions for the country as a result of hosting part of the ICC Cricket World Cup ..." he says.

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