The Cricket World Cup is a quadrennial world war fought between national teams from 16 countries. The preliminary matches begin on March 5 and will be played in Barbados, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Jamaica, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Grenada and Guyana. The championship match takes place April 28 in Barbados. An almost overwhelming amount of attention will be focused on the Caribbean, with 2 billion people expected to tune in via TV and radio; by comparison, an NFL Super Bowl broadcasts to about 100 million. And more than 100,000 fans will flock to the region to see the games in person. Since none of the destinations can handle such a tsunami of humanity; a dozen cruise ships have been chartered to house and carry many of them from island to island. SUPERSTARS AND SILLY PIE CHUCKERS Contending for the Cup will be perennial powerhouses Australia, Britain, Pakistan, India and the home team, the pride of the Caribbean, The Windies (West Indies), who are currently ranked eighth in the world. Though not traditionally known as dominating cricketers, squads from Ireland, Scotland, Holland, and Canada are also among the final 16. All the superstars will be out on the pitch. The Martinezes, Jeters and Clemenses of the game include big names like Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Pollock, and media attention will be on party-loving Aussies like Shane Warne and England's new sensation, the bushy-bearded bowler Monty Panesar. The captain of the Windies, Trinidad's Brian Lara, is one of the game's all-time legends and holds the record for the highest test-match score ever - 401 runs. WHO GIVES A JUMPING JIMINI? In the United States, interest in cricket is overshadowed by such crowd-pleasing sports as curling and team tiddlywinks, but there are still great reasons to make it down for a live match. Caribbean cricket - like everything else that's imported to the region and allowed to soak up the flavor - is more colorful, more exciting and more passionate than the "I say, well played, Reginald" version back in Britain. Caribbean fans and their entire families treat a big match as an excuse for singing, dancing, banging drums and tooting trumpets. Streets around the cricket grounds come alive in island-style tail-gating, with impromptu food courts of ramshackle stands selling sizzling rotis, jerk fish and, of course, beer and rum. Even if you've never heard of a googly or a deep backward square leg, you can always enjoy this sideshow - you might as well, because during games, especially if the Windies are playing, you'll have trouble finding a bartender to serve you a drink or a cab driver to take you anywhere. WHAT THE FLICK? Despite its sedate image (they stop play for afternoon tea), the game of cricket itself can also be worth watching and even truly exciting - or so swears one of us, Ian, who speaks with a Monty Pythonesque accent. Traditional test matches play out over five days (that's a single game), but World Cup cricket consists of one-day matches, played at a fast clip. As with every other sport (except for that goofy one where they just run back and forth kicking a ball at big nets and hardly ever score), the more you learn about the subtleties and strategies of the game, the more you'll enjoy it. The World Cup offers excellent opportunities to forge new friendships when visitors sit in the stadiums with locals, who can explain the differences between a flick (short swing), a ferret (lousy hitter) and a flipper (bouncing pitch with backspin that also hops toward the batter). GETTING IN ON THE GOOGLY Ticket prices start at $10 for the prelims and top out at $300 for the finals. You can buy them online until November 30, at cricketworldcup.com. After that, the remaining tickets will be sold at the game sites. Given the demand, your best bet will be complete packages that include tickets, airfare and lodging. If you can't make it to the islands for the crickety carnival, games will be broadcast on Fox Sports International and the BBC.
By Bob Friel and Ian Keown For more information call the Travel Organizers or fill out our quick quote request form and one of our travel professionals will respond shortly. Call any one of our three offices: Denver Tech Center - 303-771-1178 Southglenn Mall Area - 303-730-7777 Downtown Denver - 303-383-5050 Travel Organizers/American Express who has been in Denver for over 24 years can help you make reservations with just one call.
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